Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart expressed his frustration with his players after they squandered a 14-10 lead to lose 33-14 to the Wests Tigers in Round 8 of the NRL season at Leichhardt Oval. The loss leaves the Raiders in danger of finishing the round in third-last place, six points adrift of the top eight.
Stuart was particularly critical of his team's error rate, which he described as unacceptable. 'We made too many mistakes, and against a team like the Tigers, you can't afford to do that,' Stuart said in the post-match press conference. The Raiders committed several handling errors and conceded penalties that allowed the Tigers to build momentum.
The match saw Joe Tapine, the Raiders' prop, struggle to contain the Tigers' forward pack, which dominated the second half. The Tigers scored 23 unanswered points after the Raiders took a 14-10 lead early in the second half.
The Raiders now face a tough road ahead, with matches against top-four sides in the coming weeks. Stuart emphasized the need for his players to take responsibility and improve their discipline to avoid a similar collapse.
