BY DAN

The Canberra confirmed something we already knew, announcing the signature of Ata Mariota until the end of 2026. While known this was unquestionably good news to confirm. The Raiders even sprinkled in a bit of new happiness, confirming that Utuloa Asomua would also stay with the team until the end of 2026 at least, moving into the top 30 for the 2025 season.

When the Mariota deal (along with the since confirmed deal with Hohepa Puru) was first reported we outlined our view that this was a validation of the Raiders development and identification pathways. Mariota in particular is evidence the club is able to take young talent and mould it into first grade material. As we noted his performance in the semi final against Newcastle was a harbinger of his comfort in first grade and a wonderful sign for the club in 2024, and its management of the older parts of its pack over the coming years.

Asomua’s signature only substantiates this take. Like Mariota he’s been with the club since Harold Matthews (under 16s), clearly a talent and constantly pushing for higher honours. He was the club’s NSW Cup player of the year last season, the kind of mix of power and pace that modern outside backs desperately need. As recruitment manager Joel Carbone put it:

Michael has been with us since Harold Matthews and while he’s yet to debut, he has impressed at every level and I’m sure if he continues his form, an NRL debut will be right around the corner.

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Asomua will be a top 30 player from 2025, potentially a straight swap for the (maybe) retiring Jordan Rapana. He’s a different player (though, who is like Jordy anyway?) but nonetheless a useful replacement with an upside as high as any outside back at the club.

And that’s saying something because the Raiders have plenty of talent in the outside backs. Their ability to continuously produce first grade quality players is a boon, particularly with the retirement of Jarrod Croker and potential end of Jordan Rapana’s career. Asomua will enter a production line with Hopoate, Schiller, Morkos, Savage, Smith-Shields, none of whom are over 25, and all of whom could conceivably be ‘every-game’ first graders within the next 18 months.

Add to that the relative stability of the ‘front-line’ of Cotric, Kris and Timoko and it’s an impressive array of high-upside, high-floor, and low-cost players. It’s not guaranteed that any of those players will fulfill their promise but the fact that Canberra is getting so many through the system without having to go ‘shopping’ is a promising sign. It not only ensures they can retain talent in the club at other positions, but lord willing that they can recruit talent too.

Essentially their success at making outside backs (and middles) should be a subsidy for recruitment elsewhere. It’s not always clear the Raiders see their comparative advantage so clearly (hence their recruitment of multiple middles of recent years), but it is there, and if they can continue to develop players like Mariota and Asomua they’ll be forced to acknowledge it.

Regardless of that these signatures both add weight to the idea that the developmental system is working, and that the Raiders will be able to put the complementary players around the bet they are making that their emerging spine can be elite. It’s a big gamble, and not one without risk. But when you keep churning out talent like this it mitigates the downside.

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