NRL 2014 season previews: Canberra Raiders

Following the Canberra Raiders would have to be one of the toughest hobbies in the world of sport.
Every season begins with unlimited promise: a young, exciting roster that has had the previous 12 months to develop as a close-knit first grade team. The first few rounds are little disheartening, before some kind of turmoil threatens to tear the team apart from about round 10.
The most recent seasons have seen a Canberra junior leave the club (and end up in the Red V) not long after, leaving them one star player short and in the lurch as far as the table is concerned.
They still manage to finish with a bang and either sneak into the finals (6th-8th), or just miss out.
With the Josh Dugan-Blake Ferguson problems now in their past, do the Raiders have the roster to trouble the top teams in 2014?

FULLBACKS
With Blake Ferguson well out of the picture the fullback position has fallen in Reece Robinson's lap. Robinson took over the role when Dugan and Ferguson were getting up to mischief, stringing together several sensational performances that should have put Canberra fans' minds at ease of the future.
Unfortunately for the Raiders their proven fullback stocks end there, unless boom rookie Anthony Milford is moved to the custodian's role by Ricky Stuart. Milford is more than capable of playing fullback, but the only way he will play there is if Terry Campese is injured. The other solution is to move Jack Wighton to fullback but he has only proven himself at centre and on the wing so far.

CENTRES
Goalkicking centre Jarrod Croker earns himself one of the centre spots not only by his solid performances, but by virtue of his accurate goalkicking.
It leaves the question of who will play on the other side wide open.
Jordan Rapana and Haydon Hodge are two players who could step up, while Brenko Lee is only an injury away from getting the nod. You cannot go past speedster Jack Wighton however, who, when fit, is one of the more exciting players on the roster.


WINGERS
This depends on whether Milford finds his home as custodian or in the halves.
If he is moved to fullback, Reece Robinson should shift to one wing leaving Edrick Lee and Bill Tupou to fight for the other jersey.
Depending on who Stuart throws in the centres, the remaining players all come into consideration for the flanks, but the first four to be considered will be Robinson, Lee, Wighton and Tupou.
If you haven't noticed already there seems to be a severe lack of depth in Canberra's outside backs. None of them are "spectacular" nor are they household names, but all contenders are solid in their positions. You can argue that to make the finals you have to be more than solid, so a lot will depend on the injury ward and how their under-20s perform.

HALVES
With Sam Williams out of the picture (released to the Red V), Jack McCrone could have been forgiven for getting his name stencilled onto the back of the halfback jersey. That would have been the case had Mitch Cornish and Anthony Milford not rocked up.
McCrone could find himself back in the NSW Cup depending on who Stuart entrusts with the responsibility of steering the side around. Cornish and Milford are arguably more exciting footballers to watch but McCrone's experience makes him an ideal candidate, especially given the white elephant in the room - Terry Campese.
Campese's injury woes have been well documented over recent years, going from State of Origin halfback to little more than an afterthought as he battled through several injuries. He was supposed to play in the Rugby League World Cup last year but pulled out due to injury, and his availability is still cloudy ahead of the first weekend of competition. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he elected to hand up the boots.

HOOKERS
Recruiting underrated former Brisbane Bronco Kurt Baptiste to the nation's capital gives the Raiders cover for the position likely to be filled by Glen Buttriss.
Both solid, handy hookers, Buttriss will most likely start the season with the nine on his back given he is the incumbent, but more importantly he has never let the green machine down in the past. Baptiste will have some work to do to dislodge Buttriss.

FRONT-ROWERS
When you look at the Raiders' depth in the forwards it is the only time you can seriously think have depth at all.
Led by State of Origin props David Shillington, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Brett White, the powerhouse front row have a lot of pressure to show the fans, and their teammates, why they are leaders of the team. The State of Origin trio are backed up Dane Tilse and Paul Vaughan, the latter of whom shone at the World Cup.
Keep an eye on Josh Papalii and Sam Mataora to support their front-row comrades in a way similar way to how the Broncos use Sam Thaiday.

SECOND-ROW/LOCK
Josh Papalii is the most exciting talent in Canberra (in the forward pack at least).
Handed his State of Origin debut last season, Papalii has earned a reputation as a softly spoken, hard hitting machine, who made his mark hammering Cronulla Shark Paul Gallen. Papalii's impact is well noted, but he is only as good as those around him - which does lead to some problems.
Sam Mataora is solid but hasn't been a consistent performer in the top grade, while the results of Paul Vaughan's World Cup campaign will show when they hit the park next weekend. Joel Edwards is a hard-hitting but inconsistent second-rower, while Jarrad Kennedy, Lagi Setu and Jake Foster have to impress.
Last but not least you have workhorse Sam Fensom, who will continue making a thousand tackles per game at lock. New South Wales coach Laurie Daley could do no harm in tapping Fensom on the shoulder and giving him a chance at Origin this year.

THE COACH
There is not much you can say about Ricky Stuart than what has already been said.
Stuart started well taking over Graham Murray's Sydney Roosters in 2002, winning the premiership and helping revolutionise the game. The Roosters slid steadily from that point and he evetually found himself out the door, where he joined the Cronulla Sharks. Another finals appearance followed (they choked) before the slide kicked in; the Sharks dropping like an anchor to the bottom where they remained for two to three years. His stint at Parramatta Eels last year was nothing to crow about, winning the wooden spoon and tearing up 14 contracts midway through the season before jumping ship.
The change in scenery and time away from the spotlight has to work wonders for Stuart if the Canberra board want to keep their jobs.

Starting lineup:  Reece Robinson, Bill Tupou, Jarrod Croker, Jack Wighton, Edrick Lee, Anthony Milford, Josh McCrone, Brett White, Glen Buttriss, David Shillington, Josh Papalii, Paul Vaughan. Shaun Fensom. Interchange: Kurt Baptiste, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Sam Mataora, Dane Tilse