Demoralised Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has struggled to find the words to describe yet another second-half fade by the Raiders in their 34-10 thrashing by Melbourne.
Despite a strong start to Saturday's match, the wounded Raiders once again failed to score in the second half, which has become an ongoing problem for the spluttering Green Machine who have slipped to a 4-7 record.
Stuart was simply lost for words and answers when asked about his team's dismal performance and lack of fighting spirit during the match.
When asked if this was due to missing three key players from suspension and having a growing list of injuries, Stuart said: "Nah, it's definitely not that."
"I'm not going to look at that as an excuse."
He also said the heavy loss was not related to the "attitude" of the players and that he would "have to look at the match again" to try to pinpoint their ongoing problems.
On a miserable night for Canberra, one bright spot was the performance of five-eighth Sam Williams, who created a superb try for the Raiders as captain Elliott Whitehead crossed in the 13th minute.
Williams was also involved in several other impressive attacks early in the match.
"He always generates a bit of enthusiasm when he gets picked in first grade. He gets around the park well," said Stuart.
One of the other highlights for the Raiders in the second half was debutant Brad Schneider coming off the bench with nine minutes left in the match, which drew a meagre roar from the local crowd of 14,120.
There was more bad news for the Green Machine after the club confirmed star fullback Chanrze Nicoll-Klokstad's neck injury had ruled him out for the remainder of the 2021 season.
Nicoll-Klokstad is set to undergo surgery in the coming days on the ongoing problem.
