RAIDERS YEAR REACHES TIPPING POINT IN DEFEAT
ANTHONY Griffin probably regretted the comment the moment the words dropped out of his mouth.
But from the time he said back in early July that anyone who tipped the Panthers to win this year’s premiership “have got no idea about football”, the men from the foot of the mountains haven’t lost a game.
That’s seven straight now, and counting.
So are we still dopes? Young Nathan Cleary laughed when we reminded him of his coach’s comments last night in the wake of the gutsy 26-22 comeback over Canberra.
For the Panthers, the win moved them to 30 competition points and pretty much secures a finals spot.
But for the Raiders, with rounds of the regular season to go, they remain stuck on 24 competition points and now need a miracle.
Asked if confidence was growing among the Panthers, 19-year-old Cleary admitted: “Definitely.
“I think that is a really big win for us.
“Canberra had their season on the line.
“Down in Canberra, it is never easy to win down here.
“They knocked us out last year down here.
“So to get that win is hopefully going to spur us on to the finals now.”
The last time the Panthers put together seven in a row was back in 2003, when they last won the comp under Johnny Lang.
Cleary finished with a try and five goals to become the youngest player in history to pass 200 points in a season.