Former Canberra Raiders captain Alan Tongue says there's no easy fix to the multiple factors behind the Green Machine's inability to defend a lead, with a combination of physical and mental compounding each other under pressure.
The Raiders let slip a 14-point half-time lead against Penrith at Panthers Stadium on Sunday, all-but-ending their NRL finals hopes for 2018.
It's the fifth time this season they've led by 10 points or more only to go on to lose and the second time it's happened against Penrith.
Canberra players lament another one that got away on Sunday.
They hold on to those five leads and they're suddenly knocking on the door of the top four.
Plus, they also led both Newcastle and Cronulla by eight points before getting overrun.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said it was not only the reason why they weren't in the top eight, but also why they couldn't beat top-eight teams.
Stuart said he knew the reasons why, but wouldn't expand on what they were.
Tongue felt there were multiple factors in play – the ghosts of leads lost past coming back to haunt them, that pressure then causing errors, which in turn mean the other team dominates possession and fatigue kicks in because of the all the defending.
That fatigue leads to more errors and the vicious cycle begins.
The Raiders dominated the first half, setting up a 14-point lead at the break off the back of 58 per cent possession and an 89 per cent completion rate.
But that all changed in the second half, which they lost 28-5, and they only completed at 62 per cent and had 42 per cent of the ball.
"It's hard to have the exact answer, I'm not sure anybody does. There's just so many different factors that has led up to here," Tongue said on Monday.
"There's a little bit of a lack of confidence there, which when you start losing a few tight ones and you feel that momentum turn and you've been in that situation before it can come back to haunt you.
"The tide turns and then all of a sudden you get the footy and pressure builds and you come up with a poor error and then everything compounds on each other.
"There's a number of factors in it and it's been tough to swallow because you see so much potential in the side, but they're probably not sitting on the ladder where we all think they should be.
"There's a number of factors in it. I woudn't be able to put it down to one. There's a number of things and it's no easy fix."
Raiders winger Jordan Rapana was at a loss to explain the inability to hold on to a lead.
He and centre Joey Leilua scored four tries between them in some outstanding moments of attacking football.
But, as the 40-31 scoreline suggests, he said their defence wasn't good enough.
They face a Wests Tigers team that needs to win at Canberra Stadium on Sunday to keep their finals hopes alive.
Rapana said the Raiders would look to bounce back through restoring some pride in the lime green jersey.
"I don't know. It just sums up our season. We spoke all week about saving one try a game," he said.
"There's been probably five or six, seven maybe, games where we've lost by a try. We've got to look at that and take it with us next year. We can't afford to be leaking that many points a game.
"It's frustrating because I know the potential that we have as a team.
"We're so dangerous when we hold the ball and we're completing at anything over 80 per cent we're just too hard to stop. We're just not consistent enough."
NRL ROUND 22
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium, 2pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
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