No one expected the Raiders to make the semi-finals — especially when they sat 15th after the first seven rounds.
The ‘underdog’ tag is exactly what coach Ricky Stuart operates best under and so while all the noise was around the Broncos’ implosion in the final six weeks of the season, the Raiders clawed their way up the ladder and into finals.
But then the Raiders were dealt a brutal reality check when the
Eels piled 40 points on them
in a complete semi-final mismatch.