Raiders 2011 season review: halves

[Raidercast]

Raiders 2011 season review: halves

The Raiders' season is over and now it’s time to assess where the team were successful and where they were not in 2011.

In part two of this three-part series we will examine the Canberra halves and their performance throughout the season.

For a long time, many have thought the missing link for the Raiders has been at halfback. Terry Campese has been a standout at five-eighth, but Canberra lacked a strong partner in the halves.

Matt Orford was brought back to the NRL, after a year at Bradford Bulls in the English Super League, and many thought finals would again be on the cards with two seasoned halves leading the side.

But injuries ended Orford’s season in round nine after he only played six games with the club. Campese returned to the field in round 13, before injury cruelly ended his season after just 10 minutes.

2011 strengths:

Sam Williams: A revelation in 2011, Williams was still eligible to play in the Toyota Cup, but instead was chosen to steer the first grade side. While it was thought the club would have to look outside the club for a quality halfback, the answer to their issues could have been in the Raiders’ system the whole time.

Josh McCrone: Initially thought to be a stopgap solution until the return of Campese, McCrone played the entire season at five-eighth. He handled the majority of the kicking, with a total of 5794m for the season.

2011 weaknesses:

Injuries – much like the forwards, long-term injuries in the halves stopped the side from challenging the top sides. In Campese and Orford, the side not only lost quality and experience, but also a large portion of the salary cap, which forced the club to look within for replacements.

2011 vital statistics:

McCrone and Williams had 16 and 13 try assists respectively in 2011, significantly more than the next best (Jarrod Croker, 8 ).

McCrone also leads the way for the Raiders in line breaks (13) and line break assists (10), showing his importance to the side.

Changes 2011-2012: None

What the changes mean:

Matt Orford has been released by the club, so its up to Terry Campese, Josh McCrone, Sam Williams and Michael Picker to battle it out for the halves positions in 2012.

Source: Raiders.com.au