It was a season which featured hope, encouragement, despair, devastation, entertainment, disappointment, optimism and more.

It's had more ups and downs than a Luna Park ride but those who bleed green don't know anything different.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Josh Hodgson did play for England in last year's Four Nations but the Hull KR skipper's signing was met with less fanfare than a Robin Thicke album release. But the hooker has taken just a year to establish himself as arguably the Canberra Raiders' most important player. His game awareness and craftiness from dummy half have given the Green Machine a new dimension in attack, and his running game keeps the markers on their toes and opens up more space for the likes of Blake Austin. His work rate in defence is phenomenal, he plays tough, has a great kicking game and by all accounts is one of the club's best leaders. It was appropriate he finished off his debut NRL season by scoring a golden point try in Sunday's win at Parramatta. "Everybody kept talking about all these big names we kept losing in recruitment," Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said halfway through the season. "The only people who were comfortable with our recruitment were the people at our club. "The day I start listening to the outside critics or the public opinion is the day I finish coaching."

PURCHASE OF THE YEAR

Blake Austin was Wests Tigers' Mr Fix-It last year, a fringe player who slotted in wherever injuries dictated. But after an outstanding season in Canberra's No.6 jersey, it's hard to work out how the Tigers ever let him go. Austin is a throwback to the halves of yesteryear: willing to take the line on himself and use his speed and footwork to give his side momentum. There's no doubt he needs to work on his ability to bring his outside men into play more, which will come in time. Austin, Josh Papalii and Newcastle recruit Joey Leilua have the potential to be one of the most dangerous right-edge line-ups in the business. Austin finished with 14 tries and 16 line breaks in 23 games before his season ended a game early with a serious shoulder injury. He and Gold Coast recruit Aidan Sezer are signed with Canberra for the next three years, and they have the potential to be one of the NRL's best halves combinations. The first big pointer that Austin would join the Raiders was when his image was removed from a team photo promoting the Tigers' 2015 membership campaign. 

DRAMA OF THE YEAR

This bizarre story would have been hilarious if it didn't have such serious implications for Canberra's season. Sia Soliola fractured his cheek bone in the round 21 away loss to North Queensland, and therefore had to drive 24 hours to get home. Soliola was told if he had surgery in North Queensland, he would be forced to stay there for two weeks post-operation. Desperate to return home to his family, the St Helens recruit made the long trek in a hire car with Raiders football manager John Bonasera and strength and conditioner Nigel Ashley-Jones. Unfortunately the injury ruled Soliola out for the season, and the Raiders sorely missed his leadership and work rate. "It's one of those things that comes with the job. It's just unfortunate it happened all the way up in Townsville," Soliola told Fairfax Media on his way home. "At least I've got to see a lot of Australia."

QUIRKY SIGNING ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE YEAR

Only in the NRL would someone announce a mid-season move to another club from the back seat of a rival player's car. That's exactly how former Newcastle Knight Joey Leilua let the world know he was joining the Raiders. Canterbury forward Frank Pritchard posted a video on Instagram. "We've picked up a stray [Leilua] on the side of the road. Where you off to, bro?" Pritchard said. Leilua replied "Canberra" and one of the NRL's worst kept secrets was officially confirmed.

KEY MOMENTS OF THE YEAR

Raiders record equal-biggest comeback in club history: Down 22-0 after 24 minutes against Wests Tigers, the journalists at Leichhardt Oval were preparing for an all-time Ricky Stuart spray at the post-game press conference. What came next no one could have predicted. Sparked by a rampaging try from young prop Shannon Boyd, the Raiders piled on 30 unanswered points, eclipsing the club's previous greatest comeback of 18 points against Penrith in 2005 and Manly in 1998. It was Dane Tilse's final game for the Raiders before his mid-season move to Hull KR.

Austin's 15 minutes of fame against Newcastle: The 6015 fans who bothered to turn up to Canberra Stadium on a cold Friday night in July got their money's worth very early on. In one of the quickest hat-tricks in NRL history, Austin scored three tries in the first 15 minutes to effectively end the game as a contest. Austin simply did as he pleased and for his second try, unleased a Brad Fittler-esque step that left Knights fullback Kurt Gidley clutching at air.

Captain Croker stands tall under pressure: Granted, there wasn't much on the line other than finishing a couple of spots higher on the ladder. But the Raiders and their fans were simply happy they'd finally won a close game in the final round at Parramatta. After Edrick Lee scored in the left corner on the stroke of full-time, 2015's leading point scorer Croker nailed the sideline conversion to send the game into golden point. Hodgson did the rest with a try four minutes into extra time, after the Eels defence parted like Moses and the Red Sea. It allowed the Raiders to finish 10th, a more accurate reflection of their improvement this year than had they lost and dropped a few rungs further.

Ricky Stuart's press conferences: Canberra Raiders pressers are like a box of chocolates – you never know what you're going to get. But we'll give Ricky credit: unlike many other coaches, at least his chats with the journos aren't cliche-drive bore fests. The best, and also his shortest, was his 25-second cameo after the home loss to Brisbane, where a series of controversial refereeing calls in earlier weeks finally got the better of him. "No it wasn't one of those games, mate. [NRL head of football] Toddy Greenberg, he was at the game tonight and I just really hope he saw what I saw," Stuart said. "It's a lot healthier for our club if we don't go any further into this press conference. I have respect for all the media, it's got nothing to do with you, but it's just a lot healthier if I don't continue. Thanks." The Raiders later copped a heavy fine from the NRL for breaching media guidelines. A close second came after the Raiders upset Souths in Cairns, when Stuart took the chance to have a crack at virtually the entire rugby league universe for not affording the club enough respect. 

Wighton the hit man: No-punch rule? What no-punch rule? It took until just round one for Raiders fullback Jack Wighton to give the NRL's "ban the biff" policy its first test after landing a punch on Cronulla winger Sosaia Feki's chin. Highly rated as a pugilist at Canberra, Wighton was sin binned for 10 minutes. He had the last laugh by scoring two tries and pulling off a late match-winning try on Mitch Brown in the 24-20 win.

Refs blew it with Stewart: Canberra's finals hopes officially ended in controversial style against Manly in round 23, when the NRL conceded the match-winning try by Sea Eagles fullback Brett Stewart shouldn't have been awarded. NRL referees boss Tony Archer said Stewart was offside earlier in the play and "technically, did not retreat the required distance". A frustrated Ricky Stuart responded in typical fashion. "I feel the frustration of the players, which has been building up all season because it has been a constant occurrence all year to us," Stuart said. "Thirteen thousand people saw [Raiders five-eighth] Blake Austin score a try they had to go and double check, yet if we had of scored the same try [as Stewart did] at Brookvale Oval, I can bet you they would be going to the video ref to check."

Sam Williams plays on with collapsed lung: Sia Soliola knows a thing or two about playing in pain after he went back on the field with a fractured cheekbone against North Queensland this year. But even the Raiders hardman was impressed by the toughness of halfback Sam Williams after he soldiered on with a collapsed lung in the 56-16 home win over Gold Coast. "He's one tough bugger," Soliola said of Williams' heroics, which forced him to miss the next two matches. "To know he was carrying that throughout the match, I have a whole new respect for Sam, not that we didn't respect him in the first place."

MYSTERY OF THE YEAR

Why could the Raiders win away from home, but not use the Canberra cold to their advantage at home? The Raiders finished with just three home wins, the worst return in club history. However, they managed seven wins in 12 away games. Even Sherlock Holmes, Columbo and Nancy Drew combined couldn't crack this case. The Raiders players themselves couldn't put their finger on the reason behind the issue. Making Canberra Stadium a "fortress" was a major focus for the team before the season began, and perhaps they put too much pressure on themselves to achieve it. After six – yes six – home losses by four points or less, the record doesn't show how competitive they were at Canberra Stadium. But they don't draw diagrams in the record books.

SUMMARY

The Raiders improved from 15th in 2014 to 10th this season, and finals should be the absolute minimum for Stuart's third year in charge. Close losses at home were their undoing, but the positive is most of their issues in those games were of their own doing, and can be addressed over summer. Aidan Sezer is an outstanding general and boasts one of the best kicking games in the NRL, particularly in the attacking 20. His game style at halfback should complement the dynamic running of five-eighth Austin beautifully. Add fullback Wighton and hooker Josh Hodgson to the mix, and the Raiders will have one of the best young spines in the business, all of whom are yet to peak. The Raiders were indisputably the best recruiters this year with additions Hodgson, Austin, Soliola and Williams all having massive impacts. Canberra were one of the league's entertainers and finished with the league's third-best attacking record, behind only premiership contenders the Roosters and Cowboys. However, they leaked the fifth-most points in defence, and their edge defence remains an area of concern they must address. Prop is a position they must bolster after the departures of David Shillington (Gold Coast Titans), Dane Tilse (Hull KR) and Mark Nicholls (likely Melbourne Storm). A much improved season from Canberra that gives the promise of bigger things ahead.