BY ROB

The sweet release of death September is so close you can taste it. No more anxiety about what bone-headed selections Ricky will proffer up at the start of the week. No more fretting about which version of the Raiders will show up on game day. Just four weeks of laughing at the unlucky buggers who were good enough to finish in the 8 but not get the choccies.

But before we can let the Raiders hive-mind slide into hibernation for the summer (spare a thought for Dan and others similarly afflicted who can’t/won’t stop thinking in hues of lime green) we have to get through 4 games where the Raiders must undergo the footy equivalent of herding watery cats uphill.

The Milk have already suffered once at the hands of the Cows this season, and that was at home in Canberra. Of all the daunting road trips in the NRL there is possibly none tougher than the energy sapping heat of Townsville – Sticky will need to be making those interchanges earlier rather than later, lest his personnel become too fatigued to keep pace.

Needless to say but a loss this weekend will drive the final nail into the pine box that is 2024. The one upside to this is it may free both the players and coaching staff from the shackles of potential and pressure, possibly letting them freeball their way through the last three rounds.

Changes

Cook to #6, with Strange moving into the centres. On the bench Emre Guler makes a return with Trey Mooney dropping back to NSWCup this round. Cook’s elevation to the starting side sees Danny Levi return to the #14 because Stuart has ideas not concurrent with my own.

The Opposition

The Cows currently sit in 7th (with a bye in hand) and they could be as high as 5th once this round winds up. They’ve been a bit all over the shop the last four rounds, sneaking past the Dogs and Sharks, then emerging victorious in a high scoring game against Wests before collapsing in a heap against the Broncos. Time for a long streak perhaps?

Match-ups

The Raiders vs the Raiders

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to overcome isn’t the other team but rather your own limitations (yes, I know they’re called limitations for a reason). Yet if the Raiders wish to succeed in the north they must make sure that the stuff they can control (passing, running, catching etc) is on point and executed at a high standard. If they can’t manage to get out of their own way how can they overcome any opposing side?

In Conclusion

So there you have it, a Rumble truncated by the reality of sobering expectations and a desire for a patchy 6 months of footy to be laid to rest. With two top 3 sides waiting further down the dark alley of August we can turn to that classic Chief Wiggumism:

“..This is going to get worse before it gets better.”

Optimism hat: Raiders by a Doctor Strange hattrick!

Rob is the best human I know so you should follow him on Twitter here. Or you can do us a solid and like our page on Facebook, 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.