BY DAN

It’s been a tough week for the Raiders but in the concrete of reality a rose is blooming.

The AAP is reporting that Ethan Sanders will join the Canberra Raiders from 2025 (now confirmed by the Canberra Times) on a three-year deal. Sanders has long been rumoured to be on the way to the nation’s capital so this will surprise no one. We’d thought it would occur since last year, and everything in recent weeks has pointed to it happening.

Now it’s confirmed. This is a step forward from reporting and discussions earlier in the week that had confirmed his departure but not his destination. I’d also note that as raised by the Greenhouse this is [possibly] still subject to a cooling off clause. We wouldn’t expect confirmation by the club until late next week at the earliest.

It’s great news. Sanders, like Chevy Stewart before him, was one of the hottest emerging players on the market. Canberrans have got someone who has proven talent, a potentially elite kicker, organiser and ballplayer. He has been built to be a halfback in the NRL and if he makes it, it will be with the Milk.

He fits perfectly in his skillset. If you could create a halfback to support Ethan Strange in a lab you would build Sanders. If he fulfils his potential he replicates what Jamal Fogarty gives the club, and perhaps even more in terms of his running ability (smaller but more agility upside in close quarters) and his capacity to create for those around him. Sanders is already a comfortable game manager. He’s also got a well directed and strong kick, which he employs smartly. It isn’t Jamal’s right boot butt then again neither was Fogs at 19. It’s still strong and well directed, and a weapon close to the line. The only question is fitting sides and players but it’s a marginal concern that’s overhyped in the real world.

He also fits perfectly with the Raiders’ timeline. At just 19 he’s got more years ahead of him than I’ve got kegs in my belly. He forms a little triumvirate with Strange and Stewart as incredible talented youngsters; the next wave of talent. They’re friends and have been playing together and it seems were all instrumental in choosing Canberra as the place they make their names. It’d be nice if they had an old-head at hooker to help support them through. For a team that’s basically been shuffling it’s spine since 2019 it’s good to see the potential for talent and stability.

Because we can’t have nice things (immediately) the AAP also reports that Brad Arthur won’t allow it to happen immediately. I wouldn’t necessarily hold this as a fact. It seems obvious that the Eels wouldn’t let Sanders go until Mitchell Moses is healthy again. In addition they would definitely say no to an early release without first exploring with Canberra if a player swap is a possibility. They might be looking at Trey Mooney or Nic Cotric, depending on whether either has any interest in playing at one of the biggest clubs in the league (Mooney and Wiremu Greig coming off the bench together is terrifying). If the Eels keeps struggling the subsequent organisational change that might occur (like a Coach getting fired) might be enough to lead to a more broad-based organisational change. So hold on to your hats.

But if he doesn’t come it’s not the worst. In a perfect world Sanders would be playing Cup footy this season. While a player of immense talent he’s still learning a craft that most players take a long time to master. As noted in about six of the seventeen Raiders-related group chats i’m in and every social media space you’re in, doing that alongside experienced players like Dylan Brown and Clint Gutherson leaves a lot more room for rookie errors than being pushed into first grade playing alongside other 18 years olds without the benefit of a pre-season to built combinations and learn structures and plays. I’ve always thought of the Eels as similar to the Milk stylistically, so it’s not like he’s learning a completely different system. It definitely has his benefits.

It also allows Canberra to keep their power dry if they want to fill the edges of their top 30 this year. By this count they’re currently at 29, and with James Schiller leaving, Corey Harawira-Naera’s status continuing to be uncertain, and a host of other players off-contract, waiting a bit for Sanders could allow flexibility to further build depth or search for players that will complement their emerging cohort.

Either way it’s good news. Sanders has the potential to be an elite halfback in the NRL. There’s no telling if he will be at this point, but the same thing could be said about Strange, Stewart and a host of other young players. But having young talent is much better than not having talent at all. The Canberra Raiders have acquired some of the best in this deal.

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