When Canberra sit down and review what went wrong in a season that promised so much, one glaring statistic will be at the heart of the matter.<\/p>\n
Remarkably, seven times this year, the Raiders held double digit leads and yet lost.<\/p>\n
It happened yet again in the vital clash with Manly last weekend, with the Raiders bolting to a 12-0 lead and seemingly having the Sea Eagles at their mercy.<\/p>\n
But Manly clawed their way back to win 19-18, scoring 19 straight points before the Raiders got a late consolation try.<\/p>\n
Why is it so?<\/p>\n
That's the question Ricky Stuart will have to find out at the end of year review.<\/p>\n
Lack of fitness? Mental weaknesses? Lack of confidence?<\/p>\n
I think it's a combination of all three – and gives Ricky plenty to work on during the summer.<\/p>\n
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CAMPBELL JUNIOR IMPRESSES<\/strong><\/p>\n Preston Campbell was a brilliant attacking player for the Titans, Penrith and Cronulla back in his day – but his son Jayden looks to have him covered.<\/p>\n It took Preston 26 games to notch his first try double in the NRL – Jayden achieved the feat in just his fourth on Thursday night.<\/p>\n And in a remarkable co-incidence, both father and son registered their first try doubles against the mighty Melbourne Storm!<\/p>\n PAPENHUYZEN FINDS HIS MOJO <\/strong><\/p>\n After four tentative performances on the bench following his long injury layoff, Ryan Papenhuyzen finally re-captured his mojo against the Titans on Thursday night.<\/p>\n Papenhuyzen, who hadn't started a game since Magic Round in round 10, looked a shadow of himself in recent weeks coming off the bench.<\/p>\n But coming into the starting side seemed to spark the speedy fullback and he showed his old attacking fire in an impressive display.<\/p>\n Papenhuyzen ran for 130 metres – his biggest haul since way back in round six.<\/p>\n ROCKY RELISHES NRL SPECTACULAR<\/strong><\/p>\n It was great to see Rockhampton finally get its taste of live rugby league – and the Sharks and Tigers thrilled the fans with a 60-plus points try avalanche.<\/p>\n But the inflated price of tickets left a bitter taste in the mouths of many of the locals.<\/p>\n Tickets in the small grandstand went for as much as $125 – big money in a struggling Queensland bush town.<\/p>\n Prices in the outer were less expensive – but still too much for many battlers hoping to take their families for a day out.<\/p>\n "It was more than double what we pay for the local league and a lot of people missed out because they just couldn't afford it," resident Liam Palmer told me.<\/p>\n The Sharks' defeat of the Tigers in Rockhampton on Saturday afternoon may well go down as their most important victory of the season.<\/p>\n Not only did it end a worrying three match losing run, but it did wonders for Cronulla's for-and-against, which could prove crucial in the battle for top eight spots.<\/p>\n The 50-20 win was the first time that the Sharks posted a half century since 2016 and the free-flowing attacking style will give Josh Hannay's men a much-needed confidence boost.<\/p>\n A special mention must go to young five-eighth Luke Metcalf, who bagged two tries in his first starting game at five-eighth and looks a special talent.<\/p>\n KLEMMER SHINES <\/strong><\/p>\n David Klemmer wants back into the Knights' starting side on a regular basis – and he sent coach Adam O'Brien his message in the scrappy win over the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n Most of the Knights' big guns failed to fire as the team limped to an ugly 22-16 win, but not Klemmer.<\/p>\n The big man, who only got to start because of an injury to NSW Origin middle man Daniel Saifiti, was in top form against his old club.<\/p>\n Klemmer ran for 210 metres – over 60 more than any other player on the field and backed that up with 28 bone-rattling tackles.<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here!<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"NRL](\"https:\/\/vms-network-images-prod.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/2021\/08\/376164\/pickerimage.jpg\")
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