Canberra Raiders 2012 previewUnder-20s: Having endured a tough 2011 season in which injuries to both the Toyota Cup and NRL squads seriously affected the under-20s boys, Canberra are hoping for a much better showing this time around under the direction of new head coach Andrew Dunemann.
Dunemann, however, remains wary of offering any lofty predictions with further injury concerns already impacting upon his young squad.
“We’ve got probably six or seven in doubt to start Round 1 and the bad thing about that is that they’re probably our better players as well,” Dunemann lamented. “I’m hoping we get a few back but it’s been a bit disappointing that those guys have had a disrupted off-season.”
Having arrived from Newcastle in the off-season, Dunemann said he was intent on instilling a winning culture amongst his youngsters but is still going through the process of learning their capabilities.
“It’s hard to get a gauge because you tend to get rose-coloured glasses when it comes to how good your own players are,” he explained. “That said I’d like to think we’ve got a decent squad.
“At the end of the day this is all about getting them ready for the future and the only way you get them ready for that is to win games as well. You want to get that winning mentality so that if they get called up to first grade they’re confident and know what they need to do to win.”
The Raiders have high hopes for Edrick Lee this season – the classy back having impressed after spending much of his pre-season training with the NRL squad.
Source: NRL
Topic: Raiders Toyota Cup u20s Season Preview
