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.