The Raiders, with a couple of personal down, needed to be resolute and determined to back up the excellent performances of the two previous weeks taking two, five point wins away from the grand finalists of 2012.

The game started with the Raiders firing from the kick off with Phil Stewart taking the ball on the fly. The Raiders rolled on from there with a dominant first half of rugby from the forwards in both set plays and in the broken phases of the game.

The backs chimed in with solid play as well particularly with some bone jarring defence. A tighter game plan was implemented at training giving a little more set structure to the attacking platform and this allowed the game to sped up or slowed down at the breakdown setting up attacking opportunities.



The first try was scored by the newly arrived Kiwi import, Jordan Marsh, who played out of position at 12 rather than in his normal back row role.

From sustained pressure the Wanderers continued to get themselves penalised around the breakdown. After ten minutes this occurred again and from a quick tap, the ball was passed off by Adam Calcraft to Jordan who crashed over practically under the posts. Grae converted 7-0.

Jordan scored ten minutes later, again after solid forward pressure that had the Wanderers on the back foot at the breakdown. A metre out, a couple of quick passes to the right and with the overlap created, the defence was indecisive and Jordan scored almost untouched. 12 -0.

On the back of a penalty minutes later, the forwards took the ball in from the lineout and drove toward the Wanderers' line, a well set maul stepped towards the try line with metres to go.

A little over zealous James (Joombie) Thomas broke from the maul to get within a metre of the line to lose it backwards only to see winger Jarrod (Rokocoko) Dunstan pick the ball up and in a stride, fall over the line. Grae converted 19 – 0.



The last try of the half was all the backs. From a scrum the ball went wide one play, followed by a kick through for Dallas to regather and pass onto Grant who scored out wide - a 70 metre effort. 24 – 0.

From here the game, for whatever reason, broke down a little from the Raiders' point of view and from the Wanderers' they lifted their intensity from the second half kick-off.

The first phase of play saw the Raiders' kick off not go to plan. The Wanderers kicked through catching Grant out wide and turned the ball over with a penalty. From the lineout the Raiders took back possession but the clearing kick was charged down and they scored in the corner. The try was converted 24 – 7.

The game became a seesawing defensive feast and neither team really looked like scoring again, although it would be more than fair to say Wanderers dominated possession for the half. The game ended 24 – 7.

The three points went to Adrian Bannerman, Todd Funch two and one point went to Dallas Abel.



The Reef Raiders take on the Innisfail Vikings at home this Saturday at 4pm.

It was a great day of rugby in the early games the legendary Port Pirates defeated the Cairns old Crocs 35 – 0, some very entertaining rugby and a few lighter moments culminating in a cold beverage on the sideline and probably a solid night’s sleep if not a nana nap in the afternoon.

The depleted Tablelands side was defeated by a rampaging Wanderers side who took advantage of the numbers advantage. Hopefully the Tablelands can recruit a few more players in coming weeks.

Reef Raiders start season like never before

It’s a fact.

The Raiders have always had the spirit and resolve, they have been in the finals series since 2002 and in 2008 they captured the premiership, but before they won a single finals game or a premiership the junior Raiders (started in 2006) had won four.

It was 2008 from fourth that the Raiders won their first final. They won the next two to take the premiership to end their finals hoodoo.

In 2012 the Under 16s won their premiership, five junior Raiders Aiden Alberts, Aiden Chesterfield, Keelan Warrick, Thomas Branch and Connor McHugh won their fourth premiership for the club proving winning is a culture.

Raiders A Graders have only five players that played in that 2008 final so they needed to find the culture that was successful then, and the start to this season is now manifesting into winning rugby week in week out.
 
The big positive in 2013 is the Raiders have strength across the park and have a better backline structure and a much better kicking game. The forward structures at the backend of the round started to work more seamlessly and the transition from set play in the forwards and then onto the backs is becoming second nature and better structured in itself.

Hard work at training by all players, the addition of a few players over the next weeks and the good fortune to keep the team fit and healthy and available week in week out is key to the season going forward.
 
Adam Calcraft, club president and sometimes halfback said; “Make no mistake, it gets harder from here. We have merely laid a solid foundation, other clubs will have a different look in the rounds to come as the early season representative commitments have ended and players return to their clubs.”
 
Season 2013 is there for the Raiders to stand up and take ownership of. In the next two rounds and the final series we will find out if they succeed.