'We lost our mojo': Ricky laments season missteps

A dejected, frustrated Ricky Stuart was scathing successful his summary of Canberra's show against the Roosters connected Thursday night, and lamented a play of missed opportunities and subordinate exits.

The Raiders' hopes for finals footy each but ended successful Mackay aft a 40-16 shellacking to an injury-hit Roosters side.

With his arms-crossed, Stuart struggled to find words to explicit his disappointment successful a little property conference.

"It's an bare feeling," helium said.

"It's a shocking feeling, due to the fact that I deliberation we're a amended squad than wherever we've ended up connected the table. But we are wherever we are. It's each due to the fact that of the mediate portion of the play wherever we had a existent atrocious slump. We mislaid each our mojo and form.

"I deliberation we were 2 from 12, and realistically we astir apt don't adjacent merit to beryllium warring for the 8 tonight. We were mediocre tonight. We were truly poor."

Ricky Stuart successful his post-match property league (Nine)

Against a severely depleted Roosters team, the Raiders were disjointed, error-prone and acold from the electrical signifier that saw them scope a expansive last conscionable a fewer seasons ago. Stuart was simply stunned however soundly Canberra were beaten.

"I'm not being disrespectful to the Roosters - they've had a pugnacious twelvemonth and done a truly bully occupation getting wherever they are - but if we can't bushed that squad retired determination tonight, we're lone wasting different week being up present alternatively of going to spot the families," Stuart said.

"Because I mean, f--k it. We couldn't bushed that team... Christ, we're waiting for different week to get beaten."

Canberra Raiders players look dejected (Getty)

Stuart said the broadside were acceptable and raring to spell pre-game, and that helium was wholly blindsided by what they dished up, blaming mistakes and a lacklustre attack to onslaught for their defeat.

"There's games similar that wherever you don't spot that coming. The boys prepared well. I can't blasted our defence tonight. Our onslaught was dreadful," helium said.

"At captious parts of the game, successful stages wherever it could person enactment america successful a amended situation. The 2nd fractional we took truthful galore incorrect options successful attack. We didn't springiness ourselves a accidental to onslaught due to the fact that we took the incorrect options with the football."

In reflecting connected the rollercoaster Raiders' play that saw a non-stop reports of squad disharmony, including a messy exit of erstwhile halfback import George Williams, Stuart was curt.

Before the extremity of the property conference, erstwhile asked whether Williams' departure mid-season had a important impact, Stuart simply replied: "Yep. Very overmuch so."

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