BY DAN

In a game that deserved more Canberra were instead hamstrung by their own weaknesses in their 36-14 loss to the New Zealand Warriors. They did their best, gave their all, and when their opposition failed to yield they capitulated. Instead of turning it on they got turned out in a game that showed just how far they have to go this season. The shame of it all.

If we’re being honest no Canberra fan walked into this game with a happy feeling. Milestone games have a habit of not working out, and the Raiders are hardly the emotional stable unit that can handle such moments with equanimity. Last week’s victory had its own tinge of luck, and the Milk had seemingly been unwilling to address the issues it had highlighted because they were too busy (rightly) celebrating Jarrod Croker. It felt like their only pathway to victory would be based on riding early domination and an emotional wave. Unfortunately the Warriors are a very good football team. They absorbed their opposition’s best and then exploited their worst. Talk about party poopers.

It’s a shame because through the first half Canberra offered a version of their best. They won the middle on both sides of the ball for a good chunk of the first half. Joe Tapine (13 for 162m, 79 post contact) and Josh Papalii (12 for 132m, 66 post contact) in particular were dominant through their first rotation. Tapine dragged the line around, defenders following him like the pied piper. Papalii didn’t find a defensive line he couldn’t get between. In the first half the Green Machine outgained their opposition by 300 metres. The platform they laid meant the Milk spent much of the first half playing in good ball and threatening the line. Their lead was insignificant.

This is because in good ball Canberra lacked patience. Both halves pushed at forty-five degree angles in search of overlaps. Instead they only succeeded in removing space for their outside backs. Their best backs (and occasionally forwards) had to cut under to test the discipline of the Warriors inside defenders. No one really got a shot to hit straight lines and make merry. The Milk could create nothing and the Warriors stood up to the challenge. The Raiders were incapable of adjusting.

What they needed was for either half to honestly straighten and test to discipline face-to-face of the defenders. When Papalii scored late it was simply a decision to redirect an attack that had been so much shifting left to right that it surprised when that angle shifted to 90 degrees head-on. In between the Green Machine’s structures hoped that the opposition would usher them into the in-goal. Unfortunately their opposition was not so friendly. If only the Milk’s halves had found a way to head more north-south, perhaps they could have created more challenges for their opposition.

Jack Wighton in particular was heavily involved and it’s hard not to think that his involvement drove Canberra into the mess they were in. Jamal Fogarty barely touched the ball in good field position, and when the Green Machine finally headed in that direction late in the game Jordan Rapana found himself in space. Matt Timoko also threw the ball out, but it more reflected a desire to make something happen from the few opportunities he got than from a mistake in a structured and specific attack. The good guys were myopically focused on finding gaps on one side of the field. The Warriors absorbed all this and then took control of the game, particularly once Papalii and Tapine were off the field.

This inability to capitalise on the good work of Papalii and Tapine put a time-bomb on the Milk. The Warriors kept turning them away. At some point the position and possession would change, and the test would be put on the Raiders to keep out their opposition. And me and you both know what happened next. Canberra’s defence crumbled. The first try was indefensible – in that it was impossible to defend. But after that the Warriors attack took advantage of some well-established weaknesses. They hit the edges for momentum, and to test how willing their opposition was to cover across. Then if and when that failed they simply shifted back to the middle, asking a tired set of props to make another tackle. Too often they failed and the scoreline got out of control.

It was familiar. The Tigers, the Sea Eagles and the Warriors have all found success in this manner. Win a ruck, shift to an edge, and check if Canberra’s middles were able to cover inside-out. If success on the first shift wasn’t immediate – such as when Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad burned Jarrod Croker with a move so cold that it might save us from climate change – then simply test whether the middle was able to right the ship and get numbers and people in place to cover what came next. I’m cranky something so basic is an unsolveable game plan.

It wasn’t rocket science. The Warriors were simply, annoyingly, frustratingly, playing not so much with discipline but a control and purpose that has evaded the handsome boys of the nation’s capital. Whereas Canberra’s redzone attack felt hopeful their opposition had a sense of inevitable purpose, partly driven by their own approach, and the good guy’s weakness on the edges.

And then late in the game they found pay-dirt in the middle. Partly this was driven by the fact that the middles had been asked to play longer shifts than ideal. Tapine and Horsburgh played over 60 and 70 minutes respectively. It’s no shock they missed critical inside cover assignments in the second half. Papalii also missed critical assignments, and Wade fucking Egan scored because of it. But it’s unfair to blame them. Too many minutes and weakness elsewhere required the middle cover for the sins of the edges. It was back to front, and alas they couldn’t and the score got messy.

It’s a problem for the Milk. If there wasn’t a game-plan on how to get them before there is one now. In attack they are all east-west and lack of clues in the redzone. They weren’t good while Zac Woolford was on the field but they became even slower, even more sideways, while he was watching. Wighton was too heavily involved – Fogarty barely touched the ball except to kick it – and as such the attempts to score points were as balanced as Fox News. Timoko getting the ball late in the game in a situation that wasn’t an exit set felt unusual. Defensively Croker on the left was a player the Warriors targeted. Likewise on the right Whitehead and Timoko both were asked to make difficult tackles. Whenever their work wasn’t clean the Raiders were under pressure.

These weaknesses aren’t new. Canberra’s edge defence, and their inability to turn the position their middles earned them into points created a familiar problem that was compounded by errors (when was the last time a team diffused 36 per cent of kicks sent in their direction) and comical ill-discipline. The penalty count was even, but the timing was the thing. So many of those moments came when the good guys gave away late set penalties. And then pain came.

If there’s a desire for this side to be more than an middle-of-the-table accompaniment to the good teams they’re going to need to solve these issues,. They can win the middle but what happens when they’re not dominant? What happens when their middles play big minutes? How does their defence cover inside-out? Who is meant to help, or is Pasami Saulo meant to play 18 minutes and watch as his defensive capabilities are ignored? What about their attack? Who is in charge? Why does everything have to be at forty-five degree angles? Their middles don’t exist to drive them sideways. Hit a tram track. The lines are there so you know where to go. Sigh.

In addition to the loss it’s a shame they put this forward when Jarrod deserved so much more. After the game he came over to where your humble correspondent was sitting, overwhelmed and emotional at the culmination of a week in which he’d finally gotten the recognition he deserved. His speech to the crowd highlighted how emotionally draining it had been and how grateful he was. The players didn’t carry the day but one night shouldn’t detract from a career achievement. The result will hurt but I hope he realises the 20,000 people at this game not only wanted to see the Raiders win his 300th, but also to thank him for the previous 299.

But for the Raiders it simply revealed work to do. The Warriors are good but the Green Machine can’t offer such meek resistance, regardless of whether their captain is on a pedestal. More is needed. There’s a bye week and perhaps a few extra training sessions to sort out their defence, and how they create points. They better use it.

So I’ve had several pints and I‘m squinting while I write this. The least you can do is do is like our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or share this on social media. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not.