BY DAN

Like Ricky Bobby, I’ve spent the last few days not knowing what to do with my hands.

The cliché is to say Friday was a rollercoaster, but really it was a rocket into space. I’m somewhere around Mars, and I’m going to find you David Bowie. Looking forward to the next two rounds against teams already dead in the water for finals feels so unsatisfying. Give me September or give me a nap.

Of course, the Milk have to play the games, and winning them has a degree of importance. On the weekend the Raiders sealed their top two status, and effectively ended the Panthers pretensions of making the top four. Finishing first would obviously mean the JJ, but more importantly it changes the week-one matchup. Instead of facing the Bulldogs in Canberra, they could draw the Warriors, Sharks, or even the Broncos (if my ladder predictor skills are up to snuff). Playing the fumes-based enterprise that is the Wahs would be the ideal pathway to a home prelim and, well, you know.

So they’re not playing for nothing. Unless the Storm lose to either the Broncos or the Roosters, the Raiders need to win both games to win the minor premiership. That starts with the Tigers next Saturday.

Getting up for the Tigers on a Saturday afternoon is a tough battle when you’ve just played the most intense and electric regular season game in recent memory. When you’ve stood before Goliath, in his full regalia, flung your favourite rock at him and revelled in the elation that followed, the day-to-day beyond can feel mundane.

Coach Stuart is renowned for finding a way to energise a team but I’m not sure he’s going to be pushing those buttons right now. The team has been consistently clear about wanting to win the JJ, for the challenge and achievement it presents, as well as the trimmings of potential home finals.

Of course he may even go the other way. While the minor premiership is great and they should want to win, resting players over the final weeks, in particular round 27, feels increasingly likely. This is a two directional thing. Each yin has its own yang and the benefits are two-way.

Getting minutes into Matty Nicholson should be a priority over the final fortnight. This fits nicely with resting Hudson Young as he manages osteitis pubis. Resting Zac Hosking would also make strategic sense given his heavy and diverse workload, and Noah Martin would love another shot in first grade. Resting Jamal Fogarty’s old bones also makes sense in round 27, and Ethan Sanders has been routinely proving himself beyond the challenges of NSW Cup. Xavier Savage will likely be a while away, so Savelio Tamale and Jed Stuart will get valuable tread on their tyres too. Joey Taps and Josh Papalii could also take a break in the final round. Lord knows there’s a conga-line of middles eager for minutes.

Giving fringe players more time also helps preserve the team’s energy into September. But it’s a balancing act. Both the Tigers and the ‘Phins may have one foot on the plane to Bali, but rugby league is a weird beast.

If Friday was Carnivale, the next two weeks feel like a string of first Mondays back from vacation. The Raiders have some grunt work to do over the coming weeks before the meaningful stuff happens.

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