BY ROB

The NRLW Raiders heartbreaking habit of good starts followed by painful implosions etched itself deeper in stone on Sunday evening. Like nearly every game since their round 1 defeat of the Tigers, the Raiders got off to a cracking start when Ash Quinlan, drifting sideways, found a bustling ‘Maima Taufa who took possession and charged straight for the try line. The Roosters barely had time to process it all.

Canberra’s second try came ten minutes later, with the Raiders camped on Sydney’s line. Canberra shifted left and through a bit of scrappy play managed to get Maddie Bartlett across the line (for a try that could’ve well been overturned had the bunker been in a bad mood).

These tries sandwiched the unfortunate loss of Taufa, who left the field and didn’t return. Her absence had a detrimental effect on the Raiders, both in the go-forward department and in defensive resilience. The tide began to turn.

Hello Darkness…

It was like watching the Sharks game all over again. The Roosters found their rhythm and confidence and proceeded to run in try after try. The likes of Amber Hall are impossible to stop at close range. Between Bartlett’s try in the 10th minute and Wiki’s in the 53rd the Roosters ran in five of their own, blowing Canberra off the park.

Grace Kemp tried her best to reignite Canberra’s momentum, and both Chante Temara and Emma Barnes turned on some real energy at dummy half. Where they fell short was the quality of the bench – Amelia Pasikala had a pretty quiet debut – and in the halves, with Zahara and Ash often AWOL at the end of sets, leaving others holding the ball and meekly turning it over.

It feels uncouth to level criticism at a team not even two full seasons old, but it’s obvious that things need fixing. With only a few games left it’s unclear if the squad and Coach Borthwick have the time and hunger to cure what ails them – salvation might have to wait for new faces and a refresh of mental toughness in 2025.

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Feature image courtesy of Getty images