2017 NRL Season Preview - Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders 2017 NRL Season Preview
2016 Review - The Raiders were the feel good story of 2016, outside of the Cronulla Sharks winning their maiden title. The Raiders finished 2015 in 10th place, and were 12th in Premiership betting when their season kicked off in 2016. After years in the wilderness for both the Club itself and Head Coach Ricky Stuart, they combined for a highly impressive second place in the regular season, before an agonising 2-point defeat in the Preliminary Final against Melbourne, when Melbourne denied them a place in the Grand Final. Without a host of big names, it was instead some shrewd recruitment over the past couple of seasons from Ricky Stuart, and the genuine improvement in some of his younger players, that moulded this side into one of the most exciting and dynamic sides the NRL has seen for several seasons.
The Raiders were by far and away the best attacking team in the competition, and the 688 points they laid on was 104 more points than any other side in the NRL last season. They had a breathtaking mix of power up front, and speed and skill out wide, which when combined right blew teams off the paddock particularly at their home ground GIO Stadium. Captain Jarrod Croker had an outstanding season with 112 goals and 18 tries and improved his defence out of sight to become one of the leading centres in the NRL. The area the Raiders struggled a little was in defence, as the side that finished second on the table only ranked 7th defensively. They could cough up some line breaks and suffered some poor goal line defence, and that's an area Ricky Stuart will want to tidy up heading into this season where expectations are sky high.
2017 Gains - The Raiders have been very content with their emerging squad over this season and will no doubt be more occupied on upgrading and keeping what is a young and dynamic roster. However, they have decided to take a punt on the erratic David Taylor who comes back from a stint with the Catalans. Taylor never quite lived up to the hype, as perhaps the biggest forward in the NRL, when he was at the Titans, with laziness and off-field issues ballooning his weight and decreasing his production. Dunamis Lui from the Dragons could prove an underrated signing that might add some more punch to Stuart's pack in 2017. Other signings for the Raiders include Makahesi Makatoa (Bulldogs), Scott Sorensen (Mounties) and Brent Naden (Mounties).
2017 Losses - The Raiders had done well not to lose any really big names right up until last week when, in a shock move, electric winger Edrick Lee was transferred to the Sharks. The Raiders have now lost a few genuine First Graders which might affect their depth this year. Lee proved a weapon at times last season with his pace and ability to grab high balls whilst barely leaving the ground. It must be a sign that the Salary Cap is starting to squeeze on a squad that has picked up the likes of Aidan Sezer, Blake Austin, Josh Hodgson and Joey Leilua in the past couple of seasons. A couple of the Raiders' promising Holden Cup players in Lachlan Lewis (Bulldogs) and Zac Woolford (Bulldogs) obviously felt they had a better opportunity of playing First Grade elsewhere, while veteran half Sam Williams (Wakefield) has taken up an option to play in the English Super League. Other losses for the Raiders included Brenko Lee (Bulldogs), Paul Vaughan (Dragons), and Club stalwart Shaun Fensom (Cowboys).
2017 Player to Watch - Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer - I have gone with both halves for the Raiders, as while I thought their combination was very promising at times last season, I think they need to improve if this team is to go to the next level and win a Premiership. Austin has a dynamic running game as proved in his 17 games last year with 7 tries and 10 line breaks, however he only set up 4 tries. I feel for him to go to the next level he needs to improve his passing game a little and become a more reliable 2nd option kicker than he was last season. Sezer is the opposite of Austin in that he has an excellent long kicking game and is more a structured and organising type player.
I think he could improve his running threat a fraction and improve his combination with Austin in terms of taking control late in games. The Raiders still had an air of panic at times last year late in games, and sometimes looked more dangerous when hooker Josh Hodgson was calling the shots out of dummy half with their attack. I think they relied on him a little too much last year and coach Ricky Stuart will be expecting more out of Austin and Sezer this year.
2017 Draw. (Tough) - The Raiders have a tough opening month of the season where they will be without Captain Jarrod Croker through injury. They play the 2015 and 2016 Premiers in the Cowboys and Sharks in the opening two weeks, before a trip to Brisbane to play the Broncos in Round 4. The Raiders also play the rest of last year's Top 4 in the Sharks, Storm and Cowboys a maximum of 6 times which makes it potentially a tough fixture for the Green Machine. Where Stuart's men might be at an advantage is at Origin time where they are unlikely to be decimated like some other sides they will be potentially competing with for a Top 4 berth. The Raiders have finally been justly rewarded with more free to air exposure with three Friday Night games in the opening 20 Rounds which is a lot more than they have been granted over the past few seasons.
2017 Verdict - 3rd (16-17 wins)
I think this Canberra side has all the ingredients to challenge for the title this year should they retain their focus. They do need to be careful as I think last year they did benefit from a really good draw and a really good run with injuries in general. I am unsure with that the combination of Leilua and Rapana will be able to reproduce the magic they did last season with those flick passes and trick shots. However this side was the best side in the competition for the final few months of 2016 and that's even including Premiers Cronulla and I expect them to take that momentum into this season. I really enjoyed the dynamic brand of football they played which is a combination of the power game up front and some thrilling second phase football and early ball movement in the attacking positions.
I think Jarrod Croker is way more important than any other centre in the NRL as a Captain, goal kicker and strike weapon, so they don't want go be without hom for too long although Aiden Seizer is an excellent replacement goal kicker. They have also a few crucial depth players in the likes of Paul Vaughan, Edrick Lee, Shain Fensom and Brenko Lee however I still think they have a dynamic attack and they just need to tighten up their defence to be a genuine Premiership contender in 2017.Canberra have not a Club that is consistent and accustomed to success, so my main worry with this side this year is simply retaining their focus and motivation. I think this side will once again by the highest scoring team in the competition and make GIO Stadium a fortress on their way to 16-17 wins and a top 4 finish.