The Raiders were flogged, but Stuart still had positives.
Stuart reveals why Raiders could have made top four, pride over semi-final
'I'll do a deal with you': Stuart would've happily taken semi-final flogging
If you'd offered Ricky Stuart the chance to get flogged in a semi-final halfway through the season, he would've bitten your hand off.
The Canberra Raiders coach didn't hide from the fact they were beaten by a better team - going down 40-4 to the Parramatta Eels on Friday night.
It earned them spot in the preliminary final against the North Queensland Cowboys at Townsville next Friday.
Ricky Stuart says injuries kept Raiders out of top four
Ricky Stuart believes Canberra would have finished the season in the top four had key players not been struck down by injuries early in the year.
The Raiders slumped to 13th on the ladder after eight rounds but strung together seven wins from eight games after the bye to charge into the finals series.
Their season ended with a 40-4 loss to Parramatta in Friday night’s semi-final, leaving Stuart to ponder what might have been had the Raiders started their season in more auspicious circumstances.
