BY DAN

The Canberra Raiders lost 14-10 to the Canterbury Bulldogs. It was a courageous loss, if you’re into those things. They defended with a bravery, a level of contact, and a continued effort that can be the foundation of a competitive team. But their attack was too often manic, even for them. Their continued inability to get out of their own way, or the referees, is a handbrake on this side. There is a good football side trapped in a cage of their own bad habits. In the battle with its worst self, that team keeps losing.

The story of this game needs to start with their discipline. They spent the last week talking about winning the game the way the refs want it to be played, and found themselves yet again on the wrong side of the whistle. I’m not here to talk about the rights and wrongs of those decisions, and Lord knows the six-again rule was applied confusingly, and only in the first half for some reason. But all this excuse is good for is keeping you company in hell.

Nine penalties conceded. Several for high shots. A sin bin. Turning the Bulldogs away again and again, only to have the referee offer the opposition another chance like an under 8’s umpire pretending the bail didn’t fall off. It created a disadvantage that was almost impossible to overcome.

This, combined with yet again some more infuriating errors with their hands, undermined any attempt to build sustained success for this team. Jayden Brailey dropped the ball at the scrum to hand back good field position. Hudson Young dropped in on a face-ball in attack. The Raiders spent a cool decade defending their line in the second, but when they finally got good ball and a set restart in the opposition half, Seb Kris immediately dropped it in contact. Someone tell them there’s no points for degree of difficulty.

At half time the Dogs had 24 sets to Canberra’s 16. In Vlandoball that should have end of it – this is now a possession sport after all. Canterbury were hoping that they would wear down the Raiders, but it didn’t succeed. Instead the Milk’s defence poked its head out of the cage, the first sign that this unit could be elite.

If there was a specific improvement from last week it’s that the Milk’s contact was noticeably improved – though their enthusiasm for the task may have been the cause of many penalties. They were brutal. I can think of one Canterbury error that didn’t come from being hit by a wrecking ball wearing a green jersey.

But while they were enthusiastic and powerful, they also continued to show that their structures on that side of the ball can be effective. Ethan Sanders continues to impress defending on the left. He is routinely targeted by opposing attacks. It’s a pain Sam Williams used to face. Go at him to win a quick play the ball. Shift to the other side with plenty of space. But he not only made his tackles but he even managed to win the ruck on occasion, particularly when Young and Seb Kris stuck with him.

On the other side Simi Sasagi and Ethan Strange were brilliant in repelling Stephen Crichton and Viliame Kikau. The play of hitting Sanders to shift back to the other side doesn’t really work when the other side should come with a big ol’ ‘hazard’ sign. In the middle Josh Papalii’s return, alongside the help of Hudson Young and Noah Martin in particular, played a big role in slowing down the two-pass dance of the Bulldogs.

If the ill-discipline gave the Bulldogs plenty of chances, the defence took them away just as easily. At points I felt downright confident that there wasn’t a way through. In the end it took well crafted set plays to crack them open. The first try was a big shift movement that included Stephen Crichton coming to the other side of the field in a set pattern. Seb Kris’s decision to jump the route was proven the wrong one, and Crichton dumped an offload. On the second a Matt Burton decoy run caught Corey Horsburgh’s eye, and allowed Bailey Hayward a line break for free. It was the only time a break was made that Canberra couldn’t recover from.

It was by no means perfect defence, but a pretty good attitude and decent aptitude was enough to keep them in the game they were trying to give away in other ways. The only way to break the Raiders line was with pure excellence, and the Dogs couldn’t find that easily. After a while, either because the ref got bored or they lifted their game, they got into the grind and started to find a way to win the game. They got back into the grind, started playing to their strengths, and for a substantial period looked the better side.

Canberra did end up winning the arm wrestle in the middle, though not in the traditional sense. The changing rules turn the big boys into tackle bags. The yardage work is done elsewhere, middles chiming in with important runs at the back end of sets as forwards stand in the middle of the park, shifting between attack and defence without ever really getting into position for either.

No Milk middle cracked 100 metres on the ground. Joe Tapine had 10 hit ups. Josh Papalli 5. Horsburgh 9 and Mariota 5. There were useful runs a plenty by middle forwards. In particular Ata Mariota’s and Zac Hosking’s mix of agility and power through a good chunk of the second half was instrumental in moving the Raiders.

The real nuts and bolts of the side comes through the back five’s yardage work (and Hudson Young – you can’t keep him out of the game). The lowest metres out of the exit-set unit was Xavier Savage (88m). Kaeo Weekes (18 for 197), Sav Tamale (27 for 270m), Kris (14 for 118) and Young (16 for 124m) got through more work than your mum on a weekend as the game shifted back in forth.

This unit is a weapon. It was critical in the Manly win, and is how you win in Vlandoball. Win a ruck and let your strong fast guys (as opposed to your fast strong guys) wear the opposition out by hitting one-pass runs at the A defender. Their first try came from doing exactly that, going eight or nine tackles without actually going further than one pass wide of the ruck, until the shift came on the last.

Their attack on the back of that was manic for too much of the game. The longer it went the more they settled, and seemed to find the structure that deserted them last week, and for much of this game. But in the intervening period they were trying too many things, and too often going away from their halves to do it.

Sometimes that was the fault of the halves. Both Strange and Sanders passed the ball to backrowers and outside backs perhaps when they needed to take action themselves. Sometimes they didn’t get to make the error, the ball finding its way into the hands of unlikely creators. Perhaps this was a problem of a new rake through the last fifty minutes of the game, with Brailey going the distance after Tom Starling left the field. Perhaps it was 13 different people’s fault, built from a desperate mindset because of the situation they’re in.

Many may consider this lack of direction the fault of Ethan Sanders. Sometimes about needing to take control of the side. But he did exactly that. The longer the game went the more assured the attack looked, more clear in their goals and methods to be used, particularly when he was touching the ball at first receiver.

The most potent attacking shape was the young half engaging the line, and choosing his weapon to his left. Hudson Young nearly scored that way. Sanders himself nearly won the game engaging the line. The Raiders first try was haphazard, but started with Ethan taking what was in front of him, adapting, and supported by the ridiculous skills of Young, finding the right hands to get the ball to Sav Tamale. It seemed so likely, so collected and direct, that each time it nearly came off it was a surprise it didn’t.

This needs to be the base of Canberra’s attack. Sanders engaging the line, shifting to hard running outside backs and backrowers. Strange, Weekes etc can play off the back of that, take the opportunities that come in the natural chaos of any Raiders game. That’s exactly what they did to create the second try and put the Milk in with a shot.

That’s the frustrating thing. Each week it feels like Canberra discover a new thing, a new wrinkle. But they’re one win and two losses. Being two inches away isn’t good enough. Being near to the perfect play won’t win you games. Canberra are struggling, grasping at their best footy but they keep pulling out ants instead of honey. Players are growing and learning in front of our eyes. They are getting better minute to minute as much as game by game. But if this furious sputtering can’t find a smoother groove soon they’ll be chasing the season.

This football side is having a hard time right now. At times they seem to be spiraling, a wounded animal looking for someone to lash out at. They try everything, everywhere, all at once. The biggest hit. The best pass. The hardest run. They made a big deal in the offseason of ‘stacking the days’, a recognition that you had to keep building day by day. But in their footy they lack patience. The paradox of this game is that they needed more time. Perhaps better discipline can give it to them.

The season’s not over yet but it doesn’t get easier. They may be without Tom Starling, and perhaps even Josh Papalii and/or Joe Tapine, who were both reported in the game. They came into this game on the second short turnaround in a row. Rain for the third game in a row. They’ve got nothing but contenders on the horizon. The road keeps getting harder. If Canberra don’t make it easier on themselves it could be a long season.

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