BY DAN

Sometimes it works out for the good guys. Not always, but if the world tilts the right way, and the clouds go about their business elsewhere, it lets a little bit of heat cut through the winter sky. Sometimes that sun doesn’t even need to be warm, maybe more metaphorical, a moment where a deep breath and a tear comes from a place of appreciation rather than frustration or sadness. On those days it’s good to see it the sliver of light landing on the Kings of Canberra.

It certainly didn’t look that way when Latrell Mitchell was lining up a second conversion attempt at 12-0. Savelio Tamale had left the ground for what is undoubtedly a relatively long, but not season-ending stint on the sidelines. NRL teams have a 0-185 record in games they lose an outside back in the first half (stat indicative but made up). The Raiders were playing with the energy of a Sunday brunch and the discipline of the might before.

It had all the hallmarks of a classic Canberra milestone game. A general lack of enthusiasm for the task, mixed with some impertinent discipline was giving the Bunnies every opportunity. The first two scoring plays came after penalties, the third after Savelio Tamale unfortunately dropped the pain as his knee was injured. The sole weakness in their defence was exploited twice. Canberra blew a try like birthday candles, and dropped the ball on four other occasions (compared to once in the second half). Even Jamal Fogarty was having a hard time gauging the wind with his kicking, and looked like maybe the extra couple of weeks off may have benefited him. It was a perfect storm of imperfection. Papa didn’t deserve this.

Instead of the game getting away from them, the Raiders focused their efforts and got back into the game the only way they know how: one hard step after the next. What is remarkable about this side their willingness to do the hard work. To earn their victories. To not let moments or issues of the past govern them today (my shrink wishes). Like so many other games they’ve had to chase this season they didn’t try to get it all back at once. They didn’t panic, instead turning the game into a battle of middles and wills. This is a new resilience, and the general lack of alarm at being down 12 points and an outside back from both the playing group and the coaching staff was pleasing.

The practical ramifications of this attitude were simple. Turn the game into a battle between the forwards, drag the defenders there, and let the Raiders power game target one-on-one opportunities on the edges. Four of their six tries started with either Ethan Strange or Josh Papalii getting into favourable positions against isolated four or three-in defenders. It’s not sophisticated football, but it sure is sustainable.

But this had to start with winning the ground game. The possession was 74 per cent to the Bunnies after 20 minutes, 61 per cent after 30. It was a long time to be defending. Through steady but formidable middle work they wore down their opposition. By halftime the metres were even. By the time their lead became 12 they’d outgained their opposition by 200 odd meters. By the end of the game that was 400 metres and the Raiders were cascading down the middle of ground, powerful and unstoppable as the proverbial river.

The usual suspects all did their job in this. Joe Tapine and Corey Horsburgh were brilliant. Horse went 60 straight to start the game, only leaving the ground having made 130 odd metres, 49 tackles, and ensuring the lead was with the good guys when he clocked off the day. Hudson Young had a try assist, but more importantly did all the dirty work to the tune of 30 plus tackles and 200 plus metres. The back five got through their yardage work too, with Matt Timoko (170m) especially pleasing in his ability to breathe life into dead sets.

They were all great but the game changed with the introduction of Morgan Smithies and Ata Mariota in the 23rd and the 27th minutes respectively. They brought an energy to proceedings that had been lacking to that moment, and established a dominance for the Milk in them middle that good things came from. This bench unit’s ability to turn the tables of games so readily and consistently is such a weapon for the Milk, and that was not missing in this game. The scoreline was 24-0 while Mariota was on the field, and by the time Josh Papalii got to return to stomp the nail into the Bunnies’ coffin, the game had been completely flipped.

Call it a platform or a foundation or whatever, but off the back of it we got some excellent play, particularly from Ethan Strange. He apparently beat 13 tackles in this game, but it felt like 1300. He scored his first try because one defender isn’t enough to bring him down as he’s scything across the field. The second he stepped inside three defenders, and the middle defence had been so comprehensively crushed by that point that it couldn’t recover. (Sean Keppie had been targeted on three successive tackles, and when Latrell Mitchell over-pursued he didn’t have the capacity to make a fourth). Fogarty then got his kicking boots back on, and two tries resulted from bombs (Young’s pass to Simi Sasagi a worthy piece of brilliance).

The two tries for Papa to end the game were just rewards for a man that has been the backbone of the Canberra pack for the best part of a decade now. At times over the years it’s felt like he was fighting a lone hand, dragging everyone else to the standards he sets through sheer force of will. But in this game he finally got a chance to benefit from the hard work of his colleagues.

After Ata, Morgan and Red put the work in to get them back into the game, after Joe Tapine’s excellent carry broke the Souths’ middle, and after Owen Pattie attracted the eyes and attention of multiple defenders, he got an easy run to the line (though his footwork on the play to adjust and jump into the gap was brilliant as always). Then on the very next set the middle collapsed again, Strange nearly went through and Papa was in again.

It was a small reward but a just one. Instead of being a lonesome regent leading his people, he was a king amongst many. There wasn’t a dry eye in the southern hemisphere when he burst over for the first try. There wasn’t a frowning face (outside of Bunnies fans) when he powered in for his second. When he lined up that goal there wasn’t a person on earth that didn’t know it was going straight through the posts. Sometimes the good guys do get a day in the sunshine (even when the game is being played in the world’s biggest fridge).

These are the days to hold onto. You’ve been here long enough to know good times aren’t promised. Light a fire, pour a celebration whisky and tell your kids, grandkids, or the flippin’ dog about Papa, what he’s meant to the club, and what this club means to you. How you’re not scared, how you’re not going to hide behind fear anymore, and neither are the Canberra Raiders. The good days can come. We just have to fight for them, and fight to keep them. This team can do that, and each week they keep proving it.

This was a celebration of Papa, and also of what has made the Raiders impressive this season, and a legitimate contender for the premiership. They hung tough when things weren’t going their way. They didn’t get overwhelmed by the moment, or look to make excuses, or accept the fact as many would have that after twenty minutes it was just not their day. They dusted themselves off, got back to work and got back to winning, outworking, outsmarting and overpowering their opposition. Papa in a microcosm.

The challenges won’t end – not in the least finding a workaround to losing arguably the best yardage winger in the competition for a significant stint. The coming bye(s) bring with them a chance to heal up and get better, and to break the season into some shorter and medium term goals to solidify their position on the table. There’s still improvement in this team. That’s an insane thought. They’re not even close to their finding the ceiling of their potential. And right now their best is already good enough.

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