Shaun McCrae reflects on his time in Canberra - Canberra Raiders

Monday 26 November 2012 11:46 AM

Raiders diehards will remember this face, its former Assistant Coach Shaun McCrae. Hear what he had to say about his fond memories in Canberra and his thoughts on the Raiders chances in 2013.

McCrae was in Canberra last week to visit some friends and dropped into Raiders HQ before returning to his role as Director of rugby league for English Super League side Hull.

Shaun McCrae has had a long affiliation with Canberra dating back to when the club was proudly founded in 1982 and his visit to Raiders HQ last Friday evoked a plethora of fond memories.

McCrae joined the Raiders in those early days as the club’s inaugural Strength and Conditioning Coach although he worked on a part-time basis like much of the staff at the time.

From there, he worked his way up to be Tim Sheens’ Assistant Coach during Canberra’s glory days which bore three famous premiership victories.

“I was here from the start in 1982 through to 1996 and the Raiders will always be a very special club to me,” reflected McCrae. “It’s where it all happened professionally for me and I just came back today to look at the facilities and to also catch up with a couple of people.”

“I’ve been back in the UK for five years now after being with South Sydney. I’m now the director of rugby league at Hull FC and I do that role in conjunction with a commentary role at Sky Television.”

McCrae first started when the Raiders used to run out onto Seifert Oval and was there when they shifted to Bruce Stadium in 1990. Raiders HQ is now located down the road from Canberra Stadium (formerly known as Bruce Stadium) and after having undergone state of the art renovations in recent years McCrae was thoroughly impressed with the Green Machine’s new set up.

“The facilities here are absolutely outstanding and any prospective player would be impressed by this setup. I used to remember when we were based at Seiffert Oval and we had to convert a couple of squash courts into a gym at Queanbeyan Leagues Club.”

“What is most impressive though is the branding and the reminders of who you’re representing. There’s so many old photographs and historical information around the place and that’s very important because it creates a sense of tradition and culture.”

“I’ve wandered around the facilities today and looked at the photos and it just brings back so many wonderful memories. I was lucky enough to be around for the glory years and they’re times that you never forget.”

The experience McCrae gained at the Raiders under Sheens enabled him to partake on a thoroughly credible coaching career in the English Super League and with South Sydney in the NRL.

Whilst much has changed since McCrae first left the Nation’s Capital 16 years ago, one thing has remained the same; the Raiders remarkable ability to develop and nurture their home-grown talent.

“We should never lose sight of the fact that some of the greatest players to have played for the Raiders have come from Canberra and the surrounding districts. It’s great to see that that is still the case when you look through their current playing roster.”

“Canberra has this unique ability to develop their own juniors and I think it’s partly a geography thing and partly a cultural thing. Sometimes I think the history of the club actually determines the future. You only have to walk through the training base to see some of the great names and look at the pennants of the premiership winning teams in the gym. Who wouldn’t want to play at the Raiders?

“The club has so much pride in what its achieved and it has a wonderful foundation now. To have been a part of the start of it is really humbling.

Coming here today has brought back so many wonderful memories and I’m positive that Rugby league is a game that will continue to thrive in the Canberra district.”

It is for this very reason that McCrae believes Raiders fans should be buzzing with excitement and hope as 2013 fast approaches.

“I was part of an era that will take some beating but I’d love it if the Raiders could create that again. I think last year the improvement shown just to get to the play offs was incredible and there’s no reason why Canberra can’t be a playoff team this year.”

“They’ve certainly got the blend of youth and experience with some great kids coming through. If you’re a playoff team, then you’re a chance to win the premiership and Canberra is definitely a playoff team. I wish them well because it’s a club very close to my heart.”