BY DAN

How good has it been to be a Raiders fan recently?

This last six weeks has been as bad as any nadir in recent memory. 2014. The opening of 2018. The maelstrom of last year. Watching Terry Campese clutch his knee in 2010, or hobble off with a sore groin in 2011 as the Cows ran down our massive half time lead. This recent period may not have been as singularly gutting, but shit, it’s in the conversation.

It’s impressive the players haven’t completely given up. They’ve maddeningly switched off in games. They’ve irritatingly made mistakes that many of them wouldn’t have made since juniors. But week to week they’ve stuck fast, committed to the project, at least rhetorically. So much so that Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who once told us the only part of him that wasn’t hurting was his heart, accused people like us of thinking we could coach the team. He even called us couch potatoes! Us!

(I am very potato shaped).

It feels like, in their statements at least, they still believe in the way forward and still believe they can tough it out.

They’re going to have to. The next five weeks are going to be a test of that mettle. In that period the Raiders take on the Sharks (away), the Bunnies (away), Eels (home), Roosters (home), and Broncos (away). If the ladder stays the same, Canberra will have played the top 10 over the first 14 weeks of the competition. Of course the standings probably won’t stay that way (good god the Warriors have been awful the last three weeks and it still burns the Milk lost to them), and if it did it would mean they have an easy run in to the end of the season. Also, I dunno, beat teams hey.

But the point is that they have a tough few weeks, coming after a tough few weeks. It just doesn’t get any easier. I doubt anyone in the club is thinking beyond the immediate challenge of Cronulla in Suncorp, but if Canberra need to piece some wins together. If they can squeeze out a few victories, and Jarrod and Jamal Fogarty come back well, then…

We probably shouldn’t play that game. The Raiders didn’t exactly set the world’s loins alight with their hard fought victory over the Dogs. The Sharks have looked irrepressible at times this year. The Bunnies may be underperforming, but have plenty of class. The Eels just beat the Panthers at Penrith, the Roosters found some form and maybe the donkeys aren’t shit after all?

How good is it to be a Raiders fan?

Well if we didn’t know already, we’re about to find out.

I’m sorry this was sad too but if do us a solid and like our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or share this on social media I promise I’ll write something way happier later this week. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not.