Canberra Raiders head coach Ricky Stuart has slammed his team after a 38-point drubbing at the hands of the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday evening in Townsville.
The Raiders were never in the hunt against the Cowboys, and an infuriated Stuart said his team had to look at themselves if they were going to improve, labelling his side's effort a 'boys performance'.
"Everyone has to have a look at themselves. It's pretty simple. Mal spoke about it in the commentary pre-game. That is nowhere near what we have got," Stuart said during his post-game press conference.
"You sit here and that was just a boy's performance tonight. In every little contest, we were smashed."
Stuart said the way the club had prepared for the game was as good as it gets, with the playing group arriving in Townsville on Wednesday, but he refused to blame experience and said it looked as if they hadn't trained.
"I can't use that [inexperience] as an excuse. Obviously, this year was going to be a learning period, but you still have to make your tackles, you still have to catch the football," Stuart said.
"This 18 months period, two-year period. Teaching these young blokes is going to be a big part of the club's future, but a lot of the younger blokes there tonight, the whole football team, we are better than that. I have to look at why we turn up with that type of performance when your season is on the line.
"The preparation and the way this club treats our players... We got up here on Wednesday, had two real good days of training. It looked like we didn't train."
Asked directly whether his side could still make the top eight, Stuart again took a shot at his team and all but admitted the green machine wouldn't be playing finals rugby league in 2024.
"Did you see the game tonight? You want me to be honest? We are a long way off some of those teams in the top eight in regards to that performance there tonight. The frustrating part is I know we are a better football team than that, but I'm not going to protect these blokes in there. That was a real precious, spoilt type of game tonight the way we played. We weren't prepared to get uncomfortable, we weren't prepared to do the grind and the hard work," Stuart said.
To make the top eight, the Raiders would likely need to win all three of their remaining games and, given a horrific for and against, have other results go their way.
The Raiders play the Penrith Panthers (home), Sydney Roosters (away) and St George Illawarra Dragons (away) over the final three weeks of the season.