Following an upset loss to lowly Newcastle a few weeks back, the Raiders were able to recover in recent weeks with wins over Parramatta and the Sydney Roosters, but on a Sunday afternoon at Brookvale Oval, the pause button was once again pushed on their campaign to replicate their amazing high-flying achievements of last season.

“We’re nowhere near where we will get to … nowhere near where we want to be,” a brave Raiders coach Ricky Stuart shared with the media following the match.

The Raiders’ heartbreaking 21-20 loss in golden point extra-time, which ended with a field goal by Manly half Daly Cherry Evans, was tough to cop for Stuart, and was the second loss to the Sea Eagles this season following Manly’s upset win in Canberra back in round eight. Manly’s four tries to three win on Sunday came on the back of just one win from their first five games at Brookvale in 2017.

However, the faith which Stuart has in his players was well and truly spelt out by the veteran coach following the game. “As a committed bunch of footy players, as a courageous team, we showed a lot of mental strength. Manly at Brookie, in front of a really big crowd, is a daunting challenge,” Stuart shared.

“To be down 20-6, the way they came back … We just had to fight and fight and fight. Manly knew we were on our way back. As soon as we scored that first try in the second half, from our vantage point, the support staff, were all confident we were going to be able to get back into the game. To be able to say that, is a good feeling, knowing you have that in your team.”

The Raiders, who now find themselves in ninth position with six wins and seven losses - equal with the struggling Penrith Panthers -  take on the mountain men this week in Penrith’s annual trip to Bathurst.

(Header image by Getty Images)