Sports

Should the Canberra Raiders halves experiment continue?

Austin return unlikely

He scored a try, but Raiders five-eighth Blake Austin might have a wait before he returns to first grade.

Austin ran out in the NSW Cup for the Mounties for the first time, but had an up-and-down game that left him needing stitches in his head after getting collected in a strong carry.

He scored the final try of the game to seal the win for the Mounties over the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles.

Austin also played a role in both of Mounties winger Sitiveni Moceidreke's tries

But he dropped the ball a couple of times and his defence was tested as well.

Almost for Croker

It would've been the cherry on top of a big win over his former club, but a rare Jake Trbojevic mistake knocked it on its head.

Lachlan Croker looked to have scored a strong try against his former club, but for it to be disallowed because Trbojevic was offside in the kick chase.

Croker played just one game for the Raiders in his time at the club where his famous uncle Jason played.

But injuries and getting stuck behind halves Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin stopped him from getting back on the park in lime green again.

A combination of Blake Green's departure to the New Zealand Warriors and Manly's salary cap dramas meant Croker has been thrust into the five-eighth role alongside Daly Cherry-Evans this year and he's making a fist of it.​

Lime-green dream

It's a small glimmer of hope that only the most lime-green tinted glasses would be able to see and it comes from all the way back in 1997.

That's the last time the Raiders lost the opening four games of the season, making this the worst start to a season in 21 years.

But way back then the Raiders were able to turn their fortunes around and forced their way into the preliminary final where they went down to Cronulla.

It seems a mile away for this Raiders side though, having the scourge of being labelled soft by their coach following their first-half capitulation.

Especially since only five of the 22 teams that started with an 0-4 record in the NRL have managed to play finals.

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David Polkinghorne

David Polkinghorne is a sports reporter at The Canberra Times.

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