Last weekend’s 48-10 grubbing against Parramatta has put the Raiders well and truly out of finals contention this year. A summary of last Sunday’s game is available at the Raiders’ site.
Attention now turns to this weekend’s final game for the Raiders against the Sea Eagles. Following upset wins to the Roosters (beating Brisbane) and Newcastle (beating Cronulla), there is a possibility the Raiders may receive the wooden spoon. The Raiders are currently sitting on 22 points, the Rabbits on 21 and Newcastle are on 20.
The wooden spoon formula for the Raiders looks like this:
Sea Eagles beat the Raiders + Rabbitohs beat the Sharks + Knights beat the Dragons = wooden spoon
It would then come down to points for and against. The Knights are currently on -192 and the Raiders are on -123. The Knights would have to flog the Dragons and/or the Sea Eagles would have to flog the Raiders for them to receive the spoon.
Despite this, the Raiders still have alot to play for this weekend. By beating the Sea Eagles they will avoid the wooden spoon, possibly knock the Sea Eagles out of finals contention (opening the door for the Rooters and Panthers), and will receive a healthy dose of pride after what may be described as one of the worst seasons in the club’s history.