Former Canberra captain Alan Tongue rates the Raiders a good chance to end their 22-year premiership drought this season.
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Tongue, who returned to his hometown Tamworth this week for a junior league camp, said the Raiders should be aiming for an all-important top four spot in 2017.
“On paper, they potentially, absolutely can be top four,” he said. “Once you get there, you have a really good opportunity [to win the premiership),” he added.
The 220-gamer for Canberra said the sixth-placed Raiders, up against the Warriors in the capital on Saturday, were benefiting from keeping the nucleus of the side together.
“They continue to develop as a good side this season,” said Tongue, who covers Canberra home games for ABC Radio. “There’s been evidence of that the last two or three years.”
He said Raiders fans were hooked on the side’s “unique” style of “entertaining” play.
He said while that adventurous nature caused errors, Canberra “had a really good squad and it’s exciting times ahead”.
“They probably haven’t been as consistently high as a Melbourne Storm, Broncos or Cowboys the last few years, but there’s been a lot of rebuilding the last four or five years,” he said. “Ricky Stuart is getting the squad he really wanted. It holds them in good stead.”
Tongue’s faith in the Raiders past this season is rooted in them having signed key personnel to longer-term contracts. Players such as captain Jarrod Croker, BJ Leilua and Jordan Rapana.