BY DAN

The process of mapping their future squad continued for Canberra when it was announced Seb Kris would be with the team through 2027.

Kris signed a three year extension on top of his current deal. By keeping him at the club through the next four seasons it will ensure he has the equal longest deal for the side, alongside Joe Tapine. If that’s not a statement of importance and intent I don’t know what is.

It would take someone with the emotional intelligence of Piers Morgan to not be happy for Kris. He’s been with the club since he was 14, and was always a prospect but never a star. He went from being a marginal squad member, to an every game centre, to a goddamn problem solver so fast it’s inspiring. Two years ago people were wondering if he might be suited to being a sometimes backrower. Now the coach is calling him a ‘football player’ as a compliment and pitching him into the hardest jobs and biggest responsibilities. We haven’t seen a turnaround like this since Arnie started protecting John Connor (that reference is now old enough to have a mortage and two kids).

It’s so pleasing that this success has come to him personally. This is a man that’s worked for literally everything he’s had. He’s had time out of the game to look after his mental health, and famously (for Canberra) stayed fit by running around delivering packages. What a sight it would be now to see have Seb Kris running up to your door to drop off your latest package from the Canberra Raiders. He’s done everything he’s been asked, even when it hasn’t immediately suited, even when he hasn’t initially got it right. Because if there’s one thing you can be sure of: if there’s a way he can improve he’ll find it.

For the club it’s good business. We have no insight into the cost of Kris but one would assume this isn’t big money. Kris is such a Canberra secret we may as well nickname him the ‘combo laksa’ from the Dickson Noodle House. Commentators, particularly on free-to-air, always seem surprised he’s good, often damning him with feint praise. So one can assume the Raiders were bidding against themselves. That’s not stopped them from going above and beyond before, but there’s little to suggest that’s happened on this occasion. I’ll guess we’ll see what details emerge.

Regardless of the low cost having Kris on the roster provides great flexibility for the roster. He’s a starting quality centre, is proving himself to be a starting quality fullback, and according to Sticky is capable of covering six (no matter how unsure of that I am). He’s played wing, and while I wouldn’t let him do it now, could cover forward positions in a pinch. He may never play origin but he’s the kind of player that is critical to any team with pretences on winning the premiership. He’s a problem solver, a Sam Beckett, wiling to go where he’s needed to fix whatever has gone wrong before him. He may well prove himself elite at any one of the positions above, and at the cost he comes with that’s outstanding efficiency. That he covers more than that just ups the surplus value for the Milk.

And it’s not just on the field that he delivers. Kris is a valuable squad member and example; proof that working on improving your game can drag you from the edge of the roster to the frontline. It provides credibility to the meritocracy of Coach Stuart, and hope to others seeking to travel the same path. He also provides valuable support and mentorship to emerging Aboriginal players, and it’s not a stretch to think his resilience and work ethic is playing a big role in supporting his good friend Xavier Savage right now.

Seb came through the Canberra system and as Don Furner remarked its further credibility to that pathway’s ability to churn out quality footballers. He’s not the only player to have come through that system, but with Jack leaving, Nic watching and Jarrod winding down it’s good to see someone that can hold the banner for ‘Made in Canberra’ over the coming years. That proof is not just happy canary in the coal mine but it can also reinforce sales pitches to outside talent (i.e. evidence they won’t be stuck on their own).

With all that combined it’s easy to see why Kris is such a critical part of the team going forward. He’s not the singular talent of someone like Tapine, but not many people are. Kris instead provides both quality and assurance, and brings resilience to a playing list that he has demonstrated in every facet of his career. Canberra can build around Kris in the knowledge that whatever the future brings in other areas of the roster, there will always be a place that Seb can fill.

Well done Seb, we couldn’t be happier.

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