The Canberra Raiders’ Struggles and the Rise of Young Talent
The Canberra Raiders have faced a challenging start to the 2025 NRL season, slipping to second-last on the ladder after five rounds. This has been attributed to several factors, including the departure of key player Jamal Fogarty to the Manly Sea Eagles. His exit has created an opportunity for rookie Ethan Sanders to step into the role of chief playmaker, partnering with Ethan Strange, who is just beginning to notch up his 50th NRL game.
This young spine has also been joined by promising youngster Kaeo Weekes and experienced hooker Tom Starling, who has played 138 NRL games. Despite this mix of youth and experience, the Raiders have struggled to find their rhythm, with only one win so far in a golden point thriller in round one. That victory was secured by Sanders, who made a crucial field goal to secure the win.
Since then, the team has found it difficult to maintain consistent performance. As the club’s halves pairing, Sanders and Strange have come under scrutiny for their side’s poor start to the season. However, premiership-winning halfback Chad Townsend has come to their defense, emphasizing that the learning curve will ultimately benefit them.
“Sanders, after that round one game where he kicked that field goal, he probably hasn’t had his best couple of weeks,” Townsend said on SEN. “I think Sanders defensively, he missed a couple of tackles yesterday when they had a man in the bin, and Dane Gagai gave him a big couple of ‘don’t argues’ in the chest.”
Townsend highlighted that as a young half, Sanders is naturally targeted for his defensive shortcomings. He advised that the young players need to focus on getting their body in front, making genuine attempts, and waiting for help. “It’s a good learning curve for Sanders and the demands of the NRL defence at this stage of his career,” Townsend added.
With Townsend confident that the tough lessons will make the young halves stronger in the long run, the pressure is on the pair to quickly improve their performance. The Raiders are currently losing ground in the race for the Top 8, and every loss brings them further away from the minor premiership.
Perth Bears assistant coach Ben Gardiner echoed Townsend’s sentiments, agreeing that Sanders and Strange are the future of the Raiders. “I think that long-term (Sanders and Strange are) their answer, and Ricky (Stuart) better than anyone knows halves, and he’ll know whether they’re up to it or not,” Gardiner told SEN 1170 Mornings.
Gardiner noted that Stuart made the decision in the pre-season that the pair were up to the task. “Unless they commit the time to it, they’ll swap someone else in, and they’ll have the clunkiness that they’ve been having in attack anyway, so they’re better off persevering with it.”
He also drew parallels to past experiences, such as when Blaize Talagi was new at the Panthers, and Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards hadn’t trained through the pre-season. “These are two young guys coming through and building their game,” Gardiner said. “Obviously, they’re gonna get brilliant coaching from Ricky cause he’s a mastermind of rugby league… and I think that there’s growth there.”
While frustration is understandable, Gardiner believes the team must stick with the young halves. “The realism is what else do they have? Like, do they have other halves to come in?” he asked. “These guys are the ones that need to do the job for them.”
As a legend of the NRL and one of the Raiders’ greatest halves, Ricky Stuart understands how to manage these challenges. His experience will be crucial in guiding Sanders and Strange through this period of adjustment.
The Raiders will be eager to secure two points when they face the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Perth at Optus Stadium this Saturday. With the right support and development, the young halves could soon turn their fortunes around.
