BY DAN

Matty Nicholson. Super League emerging star one week. Canberra Raiders recruit the next.

To paraphrase Ron Burgundy fuck me that was quick. This time like week there wasn’t so much speculation as public vibing that Matty Nicholson would be coming to Canberra. I say ‘would’ but that overstated the thing. It was more connecting dots in a conspiratorial way. Turns out the conspiracy is right, because according to the Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Chammas on 100% Footy, a deal will be finalised in the next couple of days (update: the deal is now confirmed by the club)

Caveats about this actually happening aside, I suspect this is a very good signing. As we noted last week Nicholson looks a quality prospect. I won’t pretend to be Super League aficionado, but by all reports Nicholson is a player ready to play at the highest level (i.e. NRL). From my limited view he’s a strong, fast player. He’s skilled, comfortable passing in both directions with a handy little flick pass to deploy when things get tight. Defensively he looks elite, at least in a Super League context (94 per cent tackle efficiency on the edge is proper good). Lord knows how that’ll translate to the NRL. But the people that know think it will.

It’s a good fit, both in the football and temporal sense. Nicholson will be a critical addition to the Raiders backrow rotation which is desperately light (as we’ve noted literally yesterday). Canberra started this calendar year with Hudson Young and not much else after this year. Now they have three potential starters for two spots, including an Origin player and a future international or two (or three!…ok ok calm down). What a twist! They can allow Nicholson time to work his way into the top line without having to rely on him too. That’s ideal.

What’s more these backrowers all offer flexibility which will allow Canberra to play them all at once, should they see fit. Hosking most notably can cover middle rotation and centre minutes as needed. Hudson has played 13 before. I’m less versed on Nicholson but in what I’ve seen in Super League he looks more than agile enough to cover other positions. Defending in the middle will be harder for him; he’s only 20 and not a massive fella. But who’s to say how that looks after he spends an offseason in an NRL system. Regardless it means depth at a critical position that Canberra have spent years trying to find solutions.

I wonder if it also marks the continuation of a stylistic change for the side; a move away from being massive through the middle and perhaps adding a bit more agility to the entirety of the backrow. Suddenly Canberra have multiple options that allow them to play faster through the middle (with say Hosking at 13), instead of turning Morgan Smithies to smithereens by making him play massive minutes each week. Options baby. They’re freeing. Whether they do anything with that is another question.

At just 20 it puts a key forward squarely in the Strange/Stewart/Sanders generation, alongside last week’s recruit Myles Martin and the host of other players under 23 in the top 30. I *think* this is the tipping point now, and from 1 November 2025 the majority of the squad will be of that generation. The challenge now is making sure you have the right mix of elder statesmen in the mix to keep them on the right pathway. Canberra have been clear this is the pathway. This is more confirmation of the fact.

It does make me concerned about the club’s ability to keep Hohepa Puru. He’s another mobile option in the middle of the park, and while Nicholson isn’t a direct competitor, we are yet to see the flow-on effects. It’s also just as likely the Raiders have gone to get Nicholson because Puru has committed elsewhere and it’s just yet to break. There’s still spots available in the top 30 after this (plus whatever happens with Corey Harawira-Naera) so Canberra can still keep Puru. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Regardless this a good deal and a fascinating one. It’s a fusion of the Raiders two different recruitment paths in recent years. Get them from England, and get them before they’re big. Canberra have got both at the same time this time.

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