BY DAN

The Canberra Raiders 42-20 loss to the Melbourne Storm wasn’t the worst of their season. It wasn’t the best either. Instead, it was disgustingly mediocre, sprinkled with moments of brilliance like glitter dusted over a dog-park prize.

The same problems that have plagued them all season did so, and despite some improvements, the performance was perfectly within the range of expectations they have unfortunately made the norm this year. The season is over, in terms of finals, and reinforcements are too far away to make a difference. If the Raiders are honest with themselves, the future starts now.

The Raiders should have come into this game with a desperation to keep their season alive. The hope was that maybe one of these games would prove they were just a play, a moment, or a twist of fate to somehow reorient a train that long ago left the tracks. Their opposition had made that move weeks back, and were trying to double down on momentum that was dragging their season back into relevance. One side succeeded in their plan, and the other continued its march into Hades.

There were two primary sources of frustration. The first was the weakness of this side writ large. Somewhere during this season the middle, replete with quality players, has become a liability. In this game they were toyed with by Harry Grant, and only able to compete when he wasn’t on the field. The rest of the time the Storm’s second-rate pack made metres with ease. Given how much of the Storm’s attack was predicated on attacking kicks to Wilbur Warbrick, this was a strategic failure as well as a practical one.

Two stats tell the quantum of the story. They were outgained by 300 metres, which can come from a lot of places, but when Stef Utoikamanu cracks 150 on you, Trent fucking Loiero does similar, and esteemed yardage back Moses Leo cracks 200, and you can see the sources of the mess.

As demonstrably, the Raiders’ middles had a host of missed tackles. Joe Tapine had 11. Owen Pattie 10. Jayden Brailey made 15 tackles and missed four. Ata Mariota made 36 tackles and had three misses and two ineffective tackles. Middles normally make tackles at 90 per cent plus efficiency. Only Corey Horsburgh, Morgan Smithies and Tom Starling hit that mark in this game.

And to be honest, before I checked those stats, the middles I was most disappointed in was Horse and Morgan, who are meant to be our lock down middles. Instead it felt like they were the most forgiving in their tackling, reminiscent of forgotten Raider Emre Guler’s style of teddybear contact.

Pattie, by contrast, at least was trying to fold some dudes, and most of his ‘missed’ tackles were the result of leading the line, and being willing to make the opposition pay for trying to target him. Taps looked frustrated in defence, as though he was trying to make every tackle, and make it hurt, as much a message to those on his side of the field as those opposite. Huddo was everywhere trying to cover for everyone but he’s just one man.

This was exacerbated by a frankly pathetic kick chase. I’m confused by this one; it’s usually something the Raiders make a hallmark of their best seasons. It’s effort and details based. Everyone makes the effort, everyone closes the space. It is critical to consolidate any advantage gained in attack. Instead the Storm too often started sets on their own 40 after a break, the Raiders retreating against an attack with nothing but a broken line ahead of them.

This had predictable results. The Storm were able to start far up the field and routinely find quick play the balls, and then space, and then numbers, particularly against the Raiders re-minted left side defence. Points followed. Most will blame Matt Timoko or Savelio Tamale, but they were in impossible situations. Timoko was usually trying to tackle one of three players. Tamale was being asked to win a jumping competition over someone who could reach higher points than him. The fix was in the support around them, but there was none. The blame lies in the middle.

Canberra did go through phases in this game. Until Harry Grant came onto the field they established dominance, mainly through the gorgeous work of Owen Pattie in the middle. It’s been a while since we’ve seen such effective work at the ruck. Shading one play to play the other. Two steps to engage a marker and give a middle a bit more space.

On Canberra’s first try he took three steps from the ruck, drawing the interest of the defence and finally giving the Raiders red-zone shift a bit of space to operate. Sanders found Strange and found Timoko and Savelio Tamale scored the try. It may have been the first time all season that either Strange or Timoko got three steps before a defender was in their pocket.

The Raiders also tried to reshape their attack by flipping the tables on their pre-season decision to play Ethan Strange on the right. He spent a lot of the game stationed on the left and was as effective as he’s been on the right all season. He looked his best when he got the ball and the opportunity to take the defence on with runners on both sides. Canberra did score all their points down that side (save for the Xavier Savage interception).

I’m not sure if the side switch ultimately matters. To an extent I think it’s been a bit of a red herring this year. Strange can play either side happily. He switches sides enough during the game that it doesn’t matter for him. For Sanders my main concern is that he seemed unsure of when to run, unable to straighten sufficiently to give space to outside attackers. There was no noticeable change to his inconsistent kicking.

The attack did sputter during the second half. There were a few factors here. Pattie went off, and the Raiders were mostly playing out of bad field position. They made too many errors as the game wore on and their opposition didn’t. Gave away too many penalties and their opposition didn’t. Sometimes they put them all together.

In the 59th minute this crested in a sick mess of it all. After holding on admirably through the first 20 minutes of the second half they finally earned some good field position when a Kaeo Weekes grubber earned a drop out. A good carry from Young gave them a quick ruck and opened up the field for a big rightwards shift. This was the season in a moment.

Sanders dropped the ball cold two passes from the ruck. Then Tapine gave away a penalty two tackles later. At the end of the next set a bomb was sent to Tamale and Warbrick, and the help was too late to do anything about the outcome. Tie broken. Game broken. Capitulation engaged.

Look I’m not here to depress you. There were improvements in having Owen Pattie in the middle, and that must continue. I don’t know if it’s the first 60 or the back 60 but him, and Tom Starling, should be the two accounting for the minutes of the nine, and the Brailey lock minutes. Ethan Strange continues to look a rare weapon. It doesn’t really matter where you put him. He plays happily on both sides. You just need to get the ball in his hands on the move with options and a bit of space before the line. Sav Tamale had so many good carries in this game and was a constant threat to break the line, even when he had no right to. If only he was eight feet tall. Matt Timoko was perfectly fine in defence, and a weapon in attack. Xavier Savage had a much better game than last week.

But like so many weeks this year Canberra pairs improvement in one spot with decline in others. Good days for the hooker are mediocrity elsewhere. The middles. Gah the middles. If I knew what to do to fix you I’d fly to Canberra and hold your collective hands, look you deep in the eyes and tell you the truth. Maybe they’re tired. Maybe they’ve been torn from pillar to post by the arrogance of a Chairman of the Board who only cares about feathering his own nest rather than creating the structure and certainty in the game that allows people to thrive. Maybe too many players are flat-lining.

There is a need to lift the eyes to the horizon. Find more space for Pattie. Be patient with Sanders, but also be realistic with the load he is carrying. Let Strange play footy. Let Vena, or Jordan, or Jake get some minutes instead of making us subsist with the gristly gruel of Jayden Brailey, lock forward. Find something that we can learn in the next few months that will be intelligence that can drive another season. Because this one will not result in a visit to Valhalla. Shit they can’t even organise a raid on Cornwall.

Alas this season is one for building, or re-building, because what we once loved is no longer standing. There is truth in this team. They are not lying to us, or foxing, or in need of a jolt of confidence, or patience, or a personnel shift. They are just mediocre at football, and we get to bear witness to their malaise.

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