For the second straight week Canberra's tough love to wayward players came back to bite them as Blake Ferguson joined Josh Dugan in winning against the club which sacked them.
Ferguson threw the last pass for the opening try and scored one himself as the Sydney Roosters humbled Canberra 34-6 at Allianz Stadium.
It added salt to the wound after Dugan helped St George Illawarra overcome an 18-0 deficit to beat the Raiders in Canberra last week.
In 2013, fullback Dugan was sacked by Canberra for a string of behavioural breaches. The last straw was skipping recovery for his infamous alcopop drinking session with Ferguson.
Ferguson was spared then, but was eventually sacked later that season when he went AWOL for several weeks, failing to attend training.
While there's no doubt the Raiders did the right thing by ripping up his contract they must be wondering what their reward is after Ferguson helped the Roosters tear them apart.
Ferguson also ran for 125 metres off eight carries and made seven tackle breaks before an ankle issue ended his day in the 58th minute.
Canberra are still in need of a class strike centre to replace Ferguson. Edrick Lee was shifted back to wing on Sunday to replace the injured Sisa Waqa, having struggled with the extra workload at centre after his injury-plagued run.
Youngster Jeremy Hawkins, primarily a winger, played right centre in just his fifth NRL match.
The rematch against the Green Machine filled plenty of column inches in the lead-up, but Roosters coach Trent Robinson knew Ferguson wouldn't be overawed.
"Sometimes it can turn pear-shaped. We've seen guys at different times over the years not handle playing against their old club well," Robinson said.
"Blake did, it's a shame he came off with injury.
"There's a lot of respect there for Canberra [from Ferguson], he knows he was the issue and it had nothing to do with Canberra.
"It's not an anger [thing] which some players [in this situation] can have, therefore it's easier to keep the emotions in check."
Robinson said Ferguson hadn't changed his demeanour at all in the lead-up, despite knowing every move he made would be a focal point.
"Sometimes you get signs in the week they change a bit, when guys go quiet or talk more you know they're thinking about the game a lot," he said.
"I talked to Blake and there was no difference in him, that's important to look out for."
Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce was outstanding and despite the fact he was the only Roosters back line not to score a try, he set up many to press his claims for a NSW recall.
Blues coach Laurie Daley may be hoping Ferguson's injury isn't too serious, as he keeps getting better since his return after being deregistered by the NRL for all of last season for an indecent assault conviction.
Ferguson played the opening Origin game of 2012 before the incident occurred on the first day of camp when out drinking with Dugan.
Pearce himself was dumped for last year's Origin series for an alcohol-rated incident. If he's recalled, Ferguson could benefit from his emerging combination with him.
"As a half playing on that right edge it's an extra strength having a guy like that you can throw an early ball to, and make something out of nothing," Pearce said.
"All I've picked up from him when I've known him is how much he loves footy and wants to be the best he can be."
