The joys of punting a fraught with danger.
One lapse in concentration on the field can signal the end of a winning bet. A dodgy decision can cost a team competition points and an unlucky punter a bulge in the back pocket.
Bad beats are part of the game.
None know that more than regular Raiders backers throughout the 2018 NRL season.
Nicknamed the Canberra Faders, the Green Machine ran out of gas at the final turn time and time again. The spluttering started early on. In Round’s 1, 2 and 3, the Raiders carried a lead into the last ten minutes of a game only to give it up by the final siren.
Konrad Hurrell and the Titans broke hearts in Round 1.
The Knights scored two tries in ten minutes to do more damage in Round 2.
Shaun Johnson knocked over two field goals in two minutes to break defibrillators out in Round 3.
The trend continued throughout the season. The Raiders were Top 8 certainties if games finished after 70 minutes. Instead, the they ended Round 25 at 10th on the ladder while frequent Canberra punters counted the cost of misguided faith.
One year on and with a Grand Final appearance to their name, the Raiders are a different side. However, the 2018 outfit remains as the posterchild of Palmerbet’s latest accessory to the Bookie Bag: The Game Saver token.
While it might not seem like it to 2018 Raiders punters still having nightmares, watching the wheels fall of your team has become more bearable.
The tires on the Green Machine have since been changed; the Raiders are genuine premiership contenders in 2020.
