Capital punishment for Raiders 2009 media exposure
December 23rd 2008 07:07
The Canberra Raiders have once again missed the train for free to air coverage despite finishing season 2008 in sixth position with a relatively inexperienced roster at their disposal.
Canberra will not feature in any of the opening 15 matches of the NRL season on Channel Nine, with the Broncos, Dragons and Roosters to dominate the early media exposure.
Raiders fans all over will have every reason to feel hard done by, considering their team, along with the Warriors, were the fairytale story of season 2008.
Their attacking flair set numerous records this year, which coincided in Dally M awards to coach Neil Henry and captain Alan Tongue respectively.
Although their finals campaign ended faster than expected, Canberra caught the minds of many NRL fans, which really should have transpired into extensive free to air coverage in 2009.
Instead, supporters are left with the usual double header consisting of a Broncos side who fell agonisingly short of a preliminary final birth, and a Dragons unit who continually under achieve.
Of course, if any fan wants to catch the Raiders in action, they once again have to subscribe to Foxtel or attend a Pub in their local area on a Sunday afternoon at 2pm just to catch a glimpse of a footy side which really played out of their skins last season.
But why?
If Channel Nine are eager to perfect their ratings dominance, casting the Raiders on free to air should be at the top of their to do list.
They really became everyone's second favourite team last season and were quite unlucky not to find themselves in an NRL semi-final, considering the Warriors beat Melbourne from eighth position in what was an historic victory.
Regardless of the way they bundled out in 2008, the Raiders do deserve more time in a media limelight dominated by Sydney and Qld NRL sides.
Surely if South Sydney can get substantial free to air time when coming last on most occasions, accounting for Canberra really shouldn't be that big of a deal.
Considering the injury plagued roster they possessed this year, they performed admirably in an NRL competition that is as close as any in the world.
Even though they didn't win the premiership in 2008, the NRL and Channel Nine should give the Raiders more exposure to a fan base that demands entertainment and skill.
Canberra certainly possess both, and with a roster now containing Australian internationals Joel Monaghan and Terry Campese, Media exposure should be heading the Raiders way for the second half of season 2009.
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