BY DAN

Rugby league is back, and so are the Canberra Raiders. The result of their 38-16 victory over the Parramatta Eels matters as much as who wins the pre-season challenge cup but the hit out did provide some good signs and things to work on. They looked enthusiastic. They scored plenty of points. They weren’t perfect, but who said they would be? This was about as good as a trial can go right now.

Starting with the usual caveat about trials not mattering (and for confirmation, they don’t. At all. Not one single bit) it was just nice to bask in the glow of a Raiders side well ahead, not giving up a lead, playing with a breeziness that has somehow escaped their grasp in recent years. They looked excited. They played with vigor. People like Peter Hola, who I honestly hadn’t seen run the ball in anger playing cup footy, were tearing across the field with heat in their feet. The stodginess of last year, football played in porridge, was gone, maybe just for the day. But it’s worth noting that it was as much fun as I’ve had watching football in the best part of 18 months.

The game itself was messy as one would expect. There was plenty of errors (24 in total from both sides) borne from players still establishing connections and relationships. Plenty of points came from chaotic origins, like Jed Stuart’s try off Danny Levi’s error-no-wait-he-kicked-it, or Noah Martin’s ‘quick mum says we have to come in after this tackle so let’s just chuck it around and see if we score’ glory. People were in weird positions (Nic Cotric in the centres! Albert Hopoate at fullback!). It was a trial. What did you expect?

But the important thing was that there were plenty of good signs for the Milk. The big middles looked fast. It’s been a while since I’ve said that about a Canberra pack. Ata Mariota was a standout, fast-stepping in the line and confounding his opposition. Pasami Saulo looked powerful, and cracked 130m on the ground, 50 odd post contact metres, and still managed to get through 31 tackles and what looked like a painful head-clash. Emre Guler looked agile, Peter Hola was tearing into the line. Even as the depth players came on they maintained the recently established tradition. It wasn’t complex footy but it was sustainable. If there was one criticism of their play is that once too often passes were pushed in the interplay between forwards. I doubt the issue will be similar for the more experienced players.

On the back of this the young spine didn’t throw many shots in anger but hardly looked out of their depth. Ethan Strange looked at home, and occasionally dynamic, as the left-side six. When he took on the line it immediately excited. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to bounce off tackles in the big time like he did in this game but man there’s a whole lot there. Peek eyes up footy shit, his body is always square, ready to dance, pass or shoot. More than once he started something just by hitting the line with his body going everywhere but where the tackler was snatching at clear air. Even his kicking was near perfect in this game. Kaeo Weekes was not poor either. He looked calm and kicked well. Stuart’s decision here will be no easier than it was before the game.

Chevy Stewart looked every bit the talent we know him to be at fullback. He was fast across the ground, made important contributions as a ball-player in attack, and was well positioned and willing in defence (he made two important tackles to stop breaks). I’m still not sure if he’s big enough (yet) for first grade every week (and there’s a strategic question of having him and Savage in a very lean back three) but it’s not as far away as I thought before this game.

There were hints for depth at other positions as well. Simi Sasagi was excellent playing as a backrower. He was solid and occasionally brutal in defence and looked capable in attack. A special mention to James Schiller, who was brilliant on both sides of the ball. He was defensively brutal, and ran powerfully. Savage looked at home on the wing to me. He was chased down by Sean Russell at one point, and you might speculate that it means he’s lost a yard of pace. Maybe. Maybe he had to make too much ground in his initial run. But he’s still blisteringly quick and looked more powerful than he has before. For the first time he didn’t seem like a fawn running at the crack of a twig. He also didn’t play any fullback so I think a line can be drawn through that idea.

It wasn’t all good. All this didn’t necessarily result in a more fluid or functional offence. Indeed the Raiders kept it tight, playing powerfully through the middle but close to the ruck when they got near the line. It was a bit too familiar for my liking. It wasn’t until the Adam Cook try that it felt like they strung an actual attacking shift together. It’s hard to tell whether it was a case of cards played close to their chest, or the more sinister idea that the club is still stuck in 2023. I guess we’ll see. They still found 38 points, birthed from brutal defence, opportunistic attack, and frankly, a bit of flash and bullshit. It’s not sustainable. They’ll need more than this. But there was enough in the play of the younger players vying for an opportunity to suggest that something more grand is possible if Stuart can bring himself to dream it.

Defensively it was also a mixed picture, but an fixable one. While excellent in attack the middle did struggle with the Eels bigger players. Early on in particular they made metres hand over fist. On their first post try set they kicked from Canberra’s twenty. On their second post try set it was from the Raiders’ 30. Mariota gave one try away with weak goal line defence, and nearly another if not for the efforts of Pasami Saulo. Albert Hopoate got cold burned by Methuselah Morgan Harper on another try. Weekes’ only down-note was taking air instead of Kelam Tuilagi and offering him a line-break. Mariota will be better, and Joe Tapine, Corey Horsburgh, Morgan Smithies et al are less likely to be worn down so easily through the middle. Bert Hopoate is not going to play centre in first grade unless chaos and plague has been inflicted on us. Mariota and Weekes learned their lessons in the best way possible: with nothing but personal pride hurt.

And if the Raiders were using this game for a test of their rake that too wasn’t solved. Zac Woolford left with an HIA before he could do much. He’ll likely miss next week. Tommy Starling looked exactly like you know him to be. He chose the right moments to run and tackled well. Danny Levi was inferior to both, and made some infuriating decisions to run (once after a break, and another after a half-break. Both times killing momentum in a set). When he focused on passing he was much more functional. Lord knows how this will end up.

But regardless it was a good start. But that’s all it is. Getting carried away because a team of fringe first graders beat another team’s team of fringe first graders is not worth the disappointment that follows. The quantum of victory here is irrelevant, and not an indicator of anything but some chances well taken. But this game did prove the Raiders have talent and plenty of it, and its enough to fill the gaps we all know exist in the squad. Making it work against a proper team is another thing. We wait for next week.

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