BY DAN

There is a substantial chance that neither Chevy Stewart and Ethan Strange will not be part of the Canberra Raiders round one side. But their progress from dreams to reality will be a huge part of the club’s success going forward. Can the Raiders continue to churn out elite talent?

In an era of transition the Canberra Raiders have been lucky to keep unearthing quality footballers. In 2022 it was Hudson Young who established himself as one of the premier second rowers in the competition, something recognised when he finally received representative honours in 2023. Last season he was joined at that level by Corey Horsburgh, who instilled himself forever in the hearts of Queenslanders, a fitting acknowledgement of the metre (and minute) eating performances for the Milk. Matt Timoko is another (unacknowledged) star performer the Raiders have manufactured in recent years. Recently we’ve looked at Ata Mariota and Hohepa Puru signings as indications of their ability to provide pathways from the periphery to the core.

When it comes to Stewart and Strange the stakes are high and rising like De La Soul. Continuing the ‘discover’ more players is a fundamental part of making a good football team. When the best talent walks about the door for (darker) greener pastures then it can become abruptly clear that renewal is needed. For Canberra this is even more important. For a range of reasons the pool they’re operating with is smaller, so it means that they need to make the most of what they can get their hands on. That they’ve got they’ve managed to entice high upside players like Strange and Stewart to the club is a mark of achievement, and grabbing them before their time a lateral solution to a location problem. They need to make sure it succeeds here, lest it head back from whence it came (Sydney).

Predicting how quickly players will be ready is a fool’s game (which, hello and welcome to my lair. Make yourself at home. We have cheetos and whisky). Player growth is a fickle beast, and it either seems idiotic or obvious in hindsight. Sometimes you keep thinking it’s time, and sometimes it is. Sometimes you just wonder what Trey Mooney did to Ricky Stuart’s cat/child/agapantha garden.

Stewart and Strage both seem ready to contribute to us. This is hardly bold. Chevy Stewart’s rise through practically the entirety of the non-NRL football grades in 2023 is a good indication his pathway is more linear than most. In the early days of pre-season (November 2023) he made some comments that he’d be ready if asked to play first grade. He’s got a decent (non-Savage level) clip of pace, brilliant ball skills matched with a playmakers mind. The only thing stopping him in physical development and game experience, because, you know, he’s so young he thinks J Cole is old school. Coach Stuart recently said ‘he’s in the mix’ to play first grade, and my expectation is that on pedigree alone (combined with a little need to keep him moving lest he search for greener pasures and clearer pathways elsewhere) he’ll get a shot this year.

Many will think this is a zero sum game with Xavier Savage, but while that may be the case in the short term, anyone that watched them play together in Cup footy last season will know they are actually quite complementary. Stewart most NRL ready skill is his ball-playing, and more than once a cut-out pass hit Savage’s chest in space, a site so arousing it should knock down Viagra’s stock price. 9 try, 8 try assists and 5 line breaks later and you’ve already got a weapon. It’s just a matter of when to deploy it. How Stuart squares that cylinder will be interesting.

Strange too has shown he is ready – something confirmed by Stuart last season and demonstrated by anyone that watched he’s feet and physical prowess in Cup footy last year. If there’s an issue here it’s that it’s not clear where his best spot is. Given finding an elite half is harder than finding a monkey with a popcorn machine then he should be allowed every chance to prove he can play first grade six. Like Jack Wighton showed that might not be an immediate thing from a personal development perpsective. Time will tell.

But also it may be an organisational blockage. Similar to Morgan Smithies ascension to starting lock, it feels like Kaeo Weekes rise to Raiders replacement for Jack Wighton is almost a given. Stick likes what he sees but in a recent ‘interview’ with Paul ‘mouthpiece’ Crawley he gave him that ultimate backhanded compliement calling him ‘an NRL player’ (in addition to noting he has speed, a good kicking game and ‘really good fundamentals’). It’s been reported fairly consistently that Weekes is the presumptive starter.

This, of course, is speculation. Corey Horsburgh, of all people, revealed this week that the battle is on between Weekes and Strange for the number six jersey and will be determined in the trials:

We’ve got Jamal at no.7 and young fellas fighting for that six jersey too. We’ll get a gauge of that around trials time. Whoever stands up to put their best foot forward will get that jersey.

Corey to Fatima Kdouh

We won’t know who wins this battle for ages, but you and I know that every ounce of Ricky Stuart’s conservative, upside-hating bones will fight against Ethan Strange being ruled the winner of that battle. Give him safety or give him death. If you saw Ethan play last year you’ll know there’s something there. There was too much squaring up to the defence, dancing off both feet like he’d spent his formative years at the Bolshoi, and sending missiles masquerading as passes across the fronts of unprepared defences, to not be a little bit excited.

Is he a six or a centre? Is the ready for the faster pace of decision-making needed? The inability to rely on brute athletic advantage when all else fails? If he’s not there yet it won’t be long. He’s evidently in the thoughts of the coaching staff; Stuart declared him “ready” for the Melbourne debacle last year, so logic would be that he’s similarly placed now. If Seb Kris is able to bend Vlando’s idiotic rules to be available for round one and Stuart’s conservative proclivities get the better of him then Strange will be watching week one. But it won’t be long.

The best way forward may not be immediately into first grade. It’s never as clear as it seems from the outside, and wanting to make sure these young players are in a position to succeed is critical. I trust that Stuart has been clear with both Strange and Stewart as to how and when they’ll be involved. His record seems spotty in that regard. For every player with a clear idea of how they fit into the team’s plan for the season (like Corey Horsburgh’s experience as explained to Bloke in the Bar), there’s a Xavier Savage or Zac Woolford left seemingly confused as to where they fit in. The ramifications if this isn’t managed perfectly are substantial. These players, alongside a probable potential purchase from Parramatta, Ethan Sanders, are critical to Canberra’s future. If Stuart doesn’t get it right he probably won’t be around to fix it (surely….right?).

So while Stewart and Strange may not be the cornerstone of round one they’ll be a big part of 2024, and beyond. Making sure of that fact is a critical. It might not turn a loss into a win this year, or vice versa. But it will mean a lot for this coming generation of Raiders.

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