BY DAN A few years ago when the clouds lay across Bruce Stadium enveloping all that was good in the world, we sat down and worked out the road less travelled. Specifically, we looked at all the talent, all the possibility and opportunity that had walked out the door from the start of the Stuart … More The Tevita Pangai All Stars: Part III
BY DAN It’s rare that you get to watch a player develop so brazenly before your eyes. The 2020 season was a story of obstacles. Pandemics, bus rides, rule changes, bush fires, me eating too much, bubbles, Peter V’Landys chewing administrative structures of the game to bits while the media polity applauded. It wasn’t an … More In Plain Sight
BY DAN Whew! The blank slate. A chance to start anew. A new year is here and another rugby league season will soon follow. Last year we had a crack at 20 predictions, and we even got some right! Joe Tapine did break out! Hudson Young did prove his worth. I did tweet about missing … More 21 Bold Predictions for 2021
BY DAN When we wrote this article last year, the best moment for the Raiders was so obvious. Josh Papalii burst through the coward Damian Cook’s grasp and ended 25 years of absence and pain. It felt like there was a momentary vacuum of sound, before an explosion of noise swallowed Bruce stadium. It was … More The Best Moment of the Year
BY DAN This is part of a multi-part look at some of the talent that exists at the Raiders outside the top 30. You can read Part I on Elijah Anderson here. Xavier Savage is fast. I mean, I assume you already knew that. Videos of him sprinting down tracks and past defenders have been … More Outside the Box Part II: Xavier Savage
BY DAN It hasn’t been an easy year for anyone. All of us enter the stretch run of 2020 with at least a light covering of merde. Even if the coronavirus didn’t impact you directly, it shaped your year (and for those of us in Melbourne, it did more than that). The chaotic destruction it … More A Very Sportress Christmas III
BY DAN The Canberra Raiders gifted fans everywhere an early Christmas present when they announced that Jordan Rapana had signed on for 2021. We’ve been waiting a while for this – the club had been talking about a deal being imminent since July, so it is pleasing that this been resolved. The Raiders’ roster is … More Finally! Rapana signs on
BY DAN The world of the Canberra Raiders got an unwelcome shock when Tom Starling was charged with assaulting a police officer, reportedly after a brawl on the central coast Saturday night. We here at the Sportress are very wary of the lesson of 2020 when Curtis Scott found himself with similar charges. The legal … More Starling Assault Charge Impact
BY DAN The Canberra Raiders have picked up another distressed asset, securing the signature of out-of-work young star Albert Hopoate on a one year deal for 2021 (reported first by the Daily Telegraph). You’ve heard it all about Hopoate. The most talented player in his age group, a freak of player, an undeniable talent. All … More Hopoate’s test begins
BY DAN Lost in the hullabaloo of the Tom Starling incident was the fact the Raiders are close to tying up their roster for the 2021 season. One space remains, and one name remains conspicuosly absent. Just why haven’t Green Machine locked in Jordan Rapana? In the lead up to the Albert Hopoate deal we … More Waiting on Jordy
