Just in case there are regular readers who wish to know where round 7 v Brisbane is, it doesn't exist. I was at a wedding, and so didn't get to watch either the Orange team or the Green team lose to Carlton and the Broncos, respectively.
That update was on Facebook, but as I understand it, Facebook itself is losing ground to platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Splango (the last one, of course, doesn't exist... yet.)
But this week I watched all 80 excruciating minutes of football, and my reward was the worst loss of the season (again, thus far). It is not the worst loss I've ever seen, but it is up there with some of the all time greats. No, I'm not going to rank my top five Raiders losses. Because that's an excercise in extreme masochism.
It is important to note that even at full strength, Jordan Rapana included, Canberra lost to Cronulla. A routine 18 point fadeout followed by a "spray" at a "journalist".
So take that side, remove Jordan Rapana and Jamal Fogarty, and have them play again.
In the words of Rich Eisen - "We all knew it was coming. The media knew it, the fans knew it, and it's what happened."
To the Sharks' credit, as opposed to the rubbish the Titans dished up, there was no wrestling in the ruck, and both sides generally behaved. Whatever Des is doing up on the Gold Coast needs to stop, because teams clearly have gone away from the wrestle, and it's a much less frustrating product to watch.
Despite being able to play the ball faster, Canberra looked flatter than week-old soft drink, and slow. A far cry from the side that gave Newcastle a black eye in round one. They looked like a side that - surprise surprise - was missing their halfback.
Now I know, Canberra's forward pack is closing in on elite status, and on days like today, you needed them to stand up. And they really didn't. There were four sets where the Raider forward pack dug in and tried their best, and that was it. But it's very difficult to keep turning up when the person driving the bus has zero games of experience, and his halves partner is in his seventh game.
The youngest halves pairing in Raiders history.
Ricky said it best after Chevy Stewart (not Stuart, no relation) had a nightmare game against Brisbane. You've got young players in key spots that need time to develop. You don't become a rockstar in first grade from day dot.
Stewart, Strange, Weekes - all players who need time to develop. The real question is if the rest of the squad is prepared to bite down on their mouthguards and go on with it, accepting that there are going to be some nasty scorelines, and waning media interest.
I know I am. I will hold out hope that that the next generation of green superstars is currently being cooked up. And yes, it is incredibly frustrating to watch, and was maddening to sit through. But for the faithful, retreat is not an option, and it never was.
For those who are interested, this result does break a nine-year streak of scoring in every game. You have to go all the way back to round 3, 2013, to find the last game Canberra were kept scoreless. So, good work, I guess.
As Dennis Carnahan sang "When next week rolls around, I'll still be there."
Speaking of next week, the men in green travel to Brookvale oval to take on the red-hot Sea Iggles. Although perhaps as a show of contrition, Daly Cherry Evans and Hamuole Olakau'atu both got suspended for two weeks trying to plant someone like a vegetable.
So it might be a closer game than I thought. Maybe.
Catch you next time,
Vulkan
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