Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has admitted if you offered him a semi-final exit halfway through the season he would have taken it in a heartbeat.
Stuart also declared they would have made the top four without injuries to key players following Canberra’s loss to the Eels on Friday night.
Parramatta dominated from start to finish in the 40-4 win which marked the Raiders’ worst finals loss in club history.
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But Stuart said he remained immensely proud of his men considering they were sitting 15th on the ladder heading into Round 8.
“They were too good for us tonight, they got us,” Stuart said.
“But look if after Round 12 this year, if one of you (reporters) had come and said to me that I’ll do a deal with you and you can get to the second semi-final and get flogged.
“We were coming what 11th or 12th or 15th at one stage.
“What these blokes have done… that game there that does not define these blokes, the team, the club – I’m very proud of them.
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“I could not be prouder in regards to the journey they’ve been on and the difficulties that we were confronted with, for us to get to where we did today, I’m very proud of them.
“Disappointed with the result? Absolutely. We didn’t beat ourselves, we were beaten by a better team.”
Canberra lost his halfback Jamal Fogarty (knee) on the eve of the season for the 12 weeks and then hooker Josh Hodgson (ACL) went down for the year just six minutes into Round 1.
But Fogarty returned in Round 12 just as forwards Joe Tapine, Josh Papalii and Hudson Young started hitting career-best form.
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Stuart was asked how the season would have panned out without injuries to key players.
“We would have made the top four, the second of the season showed that,” Stuart said.
“We were only three or four wins out of the top four. We would have made the top four but we didn’t and every team gets some bad luck and injuries and I’m not sitting here crying over spilt milk.
“Don’t take it away from Parramatta, they did a good job.
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