Where to for the Canberra Raiders in 2023?

The Canberra Raiders made – and could/should have won! – the 2019 Grand Final. While still having some great players in 2022, the Raiders sit outside the eight – and don’t have a realistic chance of progressing far in the 2022 finals.

What’s happened? And what needs changing? This article explores a few things which might need to change down in the ACT.

Ricky + injuries

Ricky Stuart is contracted as coach until the end of 2023. Ricky took us to the 2019 grand final, is a club legend, is a passionate coach, and as at the date of writing has an NRL coaching win record at around 50%.

Given this, this article assumes Stuart and the Raiders work together for the foreseeable future.

The Canberra Raiders have suffered multiple severe injuries this season, which have in particular impacted our spine (eg Josh Hodgson, Jamal Fogarty, Jarrod Croker and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad). And there’s no certainty Croker will be able to permanently return to first-grade.

We have also missed George Williams and (from the 2019 grand final) John Bateman and Joey Leilua.

And of course we are on the end of the occasional adverse refereeing/bunker calls IMO (eg most recently in the dying moments against St George in Wollongong).

But the Canberra Raiders should be doing much better – especially given our 2022 roster includes the likes of Josh Papali’i, Joe Tapine, Hodgson, Fogarty, Jack Wighton, Jordan Rapana and Nicoll-Klokstad.

Five ways to improve now

1. Running Jack Wighton.

I want greater involvement from Wighton. The two things I’d like to see more are: firstly, run more on the right-hand side (Jack seems to like to remain on his preferred left-hand attacking side); and secondly, run on the third and fourth tackles (often I think Jack’s preparing for a last tackle play, so sometimes multiple sets pass without Wighton running at all).

We need Wighton to run every set if possible – certainly when we’re on attack! He is simply too dangerous popping up anywhere and everywhere (roaming like Cameron Munster).

(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

2. More Tom Starling.

Personally I prefer Starling over Hodgson, as Starling is quicker in terms of both running and passing. In my humble opinion, the Raiders make more ground and look more threatening when Starling is on the field as our #9.

I think Stuart needs to start Starling – he is certainly tough enough – and ensure he’s physically fit enough to play whole matches (noting Damien Cook – a similar style of player – plays 80 minutes). Zac Woolford has been solid, but in my view we need Starling’s potency from dummy half as much as possible

3. Better kicking.

Canberra need better strategic kicking for field position, better last tackle kicking options, and better kick chases. The Raiders need Fogarty to perfect Burton-style long-range torpedo bombs. And closer to the line – especially without Hodgson – the real options have been Wighton and Fogarty/Frawley with grubbers into the in goal (which are sometimes ineffective or poorly executed) or smaller cross-field bombs (which are frequently not contested).

The Raiders looked better against Canterbury when Jarrod Croker chased and contested our attacking kicks! While kicks from Elliott Whitehead and Hudson Young have sometimes paid off, there’s a message in the fact that both are kicking in the first place.

(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

4. Absence of strike edge forwards/centres.

I’m a massive fan of both Young and Corey Harawira-Naera as edge forwards. And I’m also a massive fan of both Matthew Timoko and Seb Kris as centres.

However, while Young/Harawira-Naera/Timoko/Kris are all hard-running, hardworking players, I personally don’t consider them to be “weapons” that defenders fear. The Raiders need to sign a strike edge forward/centre for 2023

5. “Switching off”.

By my reckoning, the Raiders have blown 10+ point leads 6 or more times in 2½ seasons, including against the Cowboys and Warriors in 2022!

There definitely seems to have been a problem with “switching off”. Stuart should address this – indeed, he probably has already done so. But I do think that addressing the above 4 points will help the Raiders banish any propensity to “switch off”.

Towards 2023

There have been some very strong performers so far in 2022.

Tapine has been epic – he’s currently the best prop in the game! Adam Elliott has been faultless and versatile in the middle; and Corey Horsburgh and Nick Cotric are looking like they’re back to their best.

Xavier Savage looks special.

The players I’d like to see a little more from, then, are Harawira-Naera, Whitehead, Semi Valemei and Emre Guler.

Who do the Raiders need to sign for 2023? While there’s reasonable depth in the squad across most positions, I’d like to see the Canberra Raiders sign some new starting players to meet the needs identified above.

Some of the players listed below – if available – could be targeted (or players of a similar style/quality, depending on availability). Of course we cannot sign all of these players – but, given the Raiders will likely have money to spend, picking up say three players of this calibre would be beneficial:

• outside backs – Jesse Ramien or Siosifa Talakai, and one of Charlie Staines, Jason Saab or Reuben Garrick (noting the release of Nicoll-Klokstad)

• halves – Blake Taaffe (noting Sam Williams’ departure)

• edge forwards – Ryan Matterson would have been ideal. Perhaps someone like Shaun Lane or Angus Crichton would be good now

• middle forwards – 1 of Tom Flegler, Keenan Palasia or Moeaki Fotuaika (noting Elliott and Ryan Sutton are on the way out)

What do the Roarers think? Can the Raiders mix it up in the eight in 2023? I think so!