BY DAN

The Canberra Times is reporting a double dose of good news: the Raiders have signed Ata Mariota and Hohepa Puru until the end of the 2026 season (update: Puru’s deal now confirmed by the club, but only 2024 and an option in 2025). And it’s proof their systems are working.

Mariota is further proof that their development processes, while hardly perfect, are still capable of turning talent into production. Ata’s improvement has been incremental over the last few years, as he’s emerged from ball-boy, to deadlifting 300kgs and finally into the first grade side. The talent was always obvious. A mixture of strength and agility unusual to someone his size. Feet that move like you think you’re moving twelve drinks deep. He’s so reminiscent of Josh Papalii in the same role that it’s almost trite to acknowledge the similarities. But it’s the consistency of small gains that’s noteworthy.

It hasn’t been a foolproof trajectory. He had many lessons learned in 2023, including some quiet stints, and some harsh lessons learned, particularly when he had to fill in as an edge defender when backrowers got caught at marker. More than once it made him look less agile than he is. But the improvements were positive enough in 2023 to support the notion that this is actually the replacement for Papa’s battle with body and age.

No more was this clear than Ata’s brilliant stint in the final against the Knights. He was fast,l and dominant, cranking out 193 metres, 76 post contact, and 130 more than his season average. It was a coming out part of sorts. We all knew it was coming at some point, but in the biggest game he stepped up, heartening proof that neither the weight of expectations put on him by his resemblance to papa, nor the stress of finals could hold him back. It’s perfectly timed, with Papa’s sunset becoming his sunrise (Cats in the cradle and the silver spoon, yes we have no bananas). The Green Machine have a very good prop coming through, one that will be trusted more over the coming years. He’s ready for it.

And not to be satisfied with just that one piece of good news and proof their development systems are working, the Raiders extension of Hohepa Puru is proof they are capable of identifying, and acquiring, elite talent. Puru came to the club on a train-and-trial deal, the football equivalent of a coke and a smile. At just 20 when he got to the club, with barely any time in Cup, and a clear obstacle to his progression (in the form of Isaah Yeo) he’s exactly the kind of young talent Canberra should be getting: potentially elite, but obscured from the glare of brighter lights by bigger names.

So it was the Raiders that saw that talent and gave it the opportunity to grow. What was revealed was a brilliant distributor through the middle third, a mobile forward willing to work with the courage and clear mind of a leader. He spent the best part of the year in Cup footy, had a cup of coffee in first grade at the end of the year, and generally looked ready. In a sense it’s fair to argue that anyone who watched Puru play footy would have known the talent was there. It was as brazenly obvious as a toddler playing hide-and-seek. But it was Canberra that identified him, brought him to the club and provided him the pathway to first grade.

I hope the Raiders and Puru develop a great partnership over the coming years. The flexibility and adaptability of playing styles that Puru can bring to the club is such a boon to a side that last season was more more one-note than C Jam Blues (oooh, jazz memes! New frontiers, come for the ride, I reveal multitudes). When he finishes developing (and his defensive presence catches up to his attack it will have a marked impact on how the Milk play, allowing them to play big or small, width or tight, and not sacrifice to get there.

More examples of finding talent like Puru, and developing it like Mariota are going to be needed if Canberra are going to ever be [insert your fantasy here, mine involves us all having the biggest part in history on the concourse of Homebush with me ]. With players like Smithies, Stewart and Sanders coming to the club and through the pathway, or Strange, Savage and Mooney pushing for top line selection, it’s pleasing to see the Raiders’ infrastructure is still working.

Do me a favour and like the page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or share this on social media because we are just men, just innocent men. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not.