In the pre-season it looked as though the Raiders would be serious title contenders. They had the roster, the coach and a big home ground advantage.
Fast forward 11 rounds and this is a club in crisis.
They sit 11th with just four wins and have just lost their halfback, and Ricky Stuart spends more time delivering ridiculous excuses in press conferences than he does anything else.
Not to mention their captain stepping down and recently admitting perhaps he needs to move on.
Simply put, they need to make some signings to re-launch in 2022.
They're not in a re-build as they still have a side capable of doing great damage, but they need a sprinkling of players to re-energize the squad.
Below are five players I believe they SHOULD target. These are just personal opinions and I have no information as to whether they're talking to players past what has made the papers.
That said, I have tried to keep it realistic. For instance, I'm not suggesting they can go out and lure Cameron Smith out of retirement.
Let us know in the comments below who you think the Green Machine need to target.
4. Lachlan Fitzgibbon
Hudson Young now looks out-of-favour after being dominated to the reserves via the bench, while Soliola, Horsburgh and James are all middle options named this weekend.
Lachlan Fitzgibbon was on the cusp of Origin selection last season and would walk into the 17. At his best I'd slot him straight into the starting 13 and there's 60-80 minutes you don't have to worry about.
I would be SHOCKED if the Knights don't re-sign him but the fact it's drifted this far tells me the Raiders are a shot if interested.
Given what 'Fitz' has done since his return from a serious injury, they should definitely be interested. At 27 he's at his peak, while his contract value would be far less than other options.
