Predicted Finish: 1st

Actual Finish: 5th

Much was expected of the Raiders coming into 2020 and they didn't disappoint. Although they couldn't secure a Top Four finish as expected, the Raiders missed out purely on points differential. They would not have looked out of place making a return to the decider but fell well short in the Prelim to the eventual Premiers.

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4. Season Grading

A-

It's really tough to grade the Raiders 2020 season. They came within a game of a second straight Grand Final, however they probably had the talent to go at least one better than they did.

I think if you offer any side a Prelim appearance in the pre-season, they take it, but I still feel as though Canberra fans were a little deflated by the way their season ultimately ended.

Overall though, the Raiders were incredible almost all of 2020. Jack Wighton lead the way and was named the Dally M player of the year. Josh Papalii is the undisputed number one prop in the business. George Williams was a huge success in his first season in lime Green. His signing added to the Raiders stocks and I believe he will be even better for the experience.

Corey Harawira-Naera's mid-season signing proved to be a smart move as played well above expectation. Joesph Tapine matured into a top few lock. Tom Starling came out of absolutely nowhere and had a monster season after Josh Hodgson's injury threatened to derail the season.

Anything less than A- seems unfair, however only a Grand Final win would have seen them move any further up. Brilliant season that ended almost unfairly.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 02: Joshua Papalii of the Raiders pushes away from Isaiah Papali’i of the Warriors as breaks away to score a try during the round 20 NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Canberra Raiders at Mt Smart Stadium on August 02, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
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