Raiders to file a “please explain” over Sharks trainer antics

Fogarty missed the kick, which would have cut the Sharks’ lead down to just four. Raiders lost 36-22. 

Canberra Raiders’ 36-22 loss to Cronulla Sharks on Sunday was the second straight loss for the Raiders, and their coach  Ricky Stuart was fuming. One thing he’s reportedly upset about is the actions of a Sharks’ trainer who ran up on Raiders’ Jamal Fogarty as he was lining up a crucial kick to close the gap to just four.  
 
Reports claim Raiders are going to submit a complaint to the NRL and a ‘please explain’ notice to Sharks relating to the trainer’s antics.  

Embarrassing loss for Raiders  

Canberra Raiders took an 18-0 lead on Cronulla Sharks after just 23 minutes of action at PointsBet Stadium in Woolooware on Sunday. After that, things fell apart for the Raiders.  
 
Sharks tied the match with three tries in just 15 minutes. By the 38th minute, things were all even at 18-18. Sharks continued their domination in the second half and took control of the match. In the 64th minute, Sharks were up 30-18.  
 
Raiders struck back shortly after, scoring a try in the 71st minute. The following kick, however, was controversially missed by Raiders’ Jamal Fogarty. As the halfback was approaching his kick to cut the lead even shorter, a Sharks’ trainer ran by him. Fogarty’s kick hit the right post and bounced away from the post. The score remained 30-22 after the kick.  
 
Fogarty’s kick was the last genuine scoring chance for Raiders. The match finished 36-22 for Sharks.  

‘Abysmal’ says Raiders boss

Raiders’ head coach Ricky Stuart spoke out after the match about his side’s performance.  
 
“We were winning 18-0 playing poorly,” the 57-year-old said, “We played a patch of 12 or 14 minutes of half-decent football, outside of that we were embarrassing. It was awful. We worked too hard in the off-season, that’s not us, that’s definitely not us, but tonight it was.” 
 
Stuart also added that he felt Raiders played an “abysmal” match and that certain players and issues “will be dealt with” before Raiders’ next match against Parramatta Eels. 

‘Please explain’ to be issued over trainer conduct

One issue Stuart didn’t speak on was the actions of the Sharks’ trainer on Fogarty’s kick. Reportedly, though, Raiders are fuming over the trainers' antics.  
 
Channel 9’s 100% Footy reporter Michael Chammas revealed on Monday that “The Canberra Raiders are going to lodge a formal complaint with the NRL, they’re going to ask for a please explain.”  
 
The veteran reporter highlighted a similar incident in 2022 where Eels were fined $5,000 following an incident where one of their trainers ran past the goalpost as Panthers’ Nathan Cleary approached a potential match-winning kick.

Raiders are an outsider to qualify for the finals series, according to the betting sites. If they miss out, losses like this one to Sharks will surely haunt them, whether or not Sharks end up paying a $5,000 fine.