Ricky Stuart will find himself on the coaching hot seat by season's end if the Raiders again fail to make the finals.
The team from the nation's capital have had two straight seasons of tenth place finishes and in a results based business such as the NRL, most clubs would not allow these type of poor results for a third consecutive year.
Stuart’s Raiders have always been known for their incredible ability to quickly shift into fifth gear and score a couple of quick tries, this approach culminated in a second place finish in 2016, since then results have not been so positive.
The trend over the last two years has featured many blown leads and close loses due to the fact that this team is clearly not showing up with the attitude to win or play for each other and their coach.
It is something that Raiders fans will not want to hear but unless this changes, be prepared again for a mediocre Raiders team that is competitive but just not consistent enough to get over the hump.
However, if Stuart, who won the 2016 Dally M Coach of the Year with the Raiders, can bring the consistency in attack and defence, this team could contend for a spot in the finals.
For this to be done Stuart must first improve the defence, something that he has publicly stated the Raiders are focusing on at training.
Along with this Stuart must weave some magic to get his new halves partnership of Aidan Sezer and Jack Wighton to gel and perform consistently well. The Raiders lost former five-eight Blake Austin who had a big hand in their attack over the last few seasons, he will play in England this upcoming season.
The Raiders were dealt a huge blow for the upcoming season when they learned they would be without star winger Jordan Rapana. The exciting wingers absence will leave a huge dent in the side as he and Joseph Leilua have often carried the attack for the Raiders.
The only way Stuart keeps his job if the Raiders were to again miss the finals is the history that he has as a Canberra Raiders player.
The former Canberra halfback helped his team make three consecutive Grand Final appearances from 1989-91, winning in 89 and 90. Stuart was the Clive Churchill Medallist in the Grand Final in 1990 and also won the Dally M Medallist in 1993.
It was a quiet off season in terms of player signings with Stuart clearly happy to make possible under the radar signings and trust the players already on the roster to make leaps forward.
The Raiders may prove to be one of the more interesting teams to watch this season and only time will tell if Stuart's approach will work out. The Raiders kick off their season against the Titans on Sunday, March 17.