The correct term for the win is an upset, but telling that to Raiders fans is perhaps ill-advised – as they decimated a poor Sharks side 36-4 away from home, in a rout.
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan says that he cannot wait for influential back-rowers Paul Gallen and Jeremy Smith to return, with the duo’s presence clearly missed, both in attack and defence.
“Jeremy and Paul coming back next week … I’ll be glad to name them in the team sheet, I tell you,” Flanagan said.
“I think at some of those stages, especially after two tries, we probably needed someone like Gal or Jeremy to get the team together.
“Take your two best players out of any side and you’re going to struggle – not like we should’ve today – but we’re going to struggle.”
Fans were clearly frustrated with the heavy defeat, with one Sharks fan yelling out, “Lucky Lewis signed on Friday, he wouldn’t be signing now”.
Raiders coach David Furner was in the mood for jokes however, as he struggled to come to grips with how his side could be firing left, right and centre one week – yet completely lackadaisical and inept the next.
“I think one of my assistants put it well – if they were horses you’d swab them,” Furner said of his men.
“We needed to start well, I thought that was where we let ourselves down last week and it was a massive focus.”