BY DAN

A year after Ethan Strange announced himself to the National Rugby League via the under 19s State of Origin game, Chevy Stewart has matched the feat, named Man of the Match, just as Strange was in last year’s game. They’ve had slightly different paths to get to this point but is this a sign that the young fullback will match his teammates’ progress and become an ‘every-week’ first grader next year?

For once the stats tell a bit of the story of what Chevy pulled off. One try, one try assist, at least three line breaks, fourteen tackle breaks, 215 metres. He looked above the competition, making implausible breaks from nothing, scoring a try where he simply was too fast off the spot, careening at defenders stuck on their heels and unable to muster the physics to stop him. Force equals mass times acceleration after all. He set up another try after catching a kinda weird looking kick, summing up the play brilliantly before sending a perfect pass inside. He was a critical part of shift movements, actually getting a chance to play with a bit of space and options around him. All the things you would want from a fullback, and that we’d hoped to see from Chevy in first grade were evident: yardage, dynamic ball-running, safety under the high ball, ball-play at the line. It was beautiful to see.

Looking above the quality of competition that is below the quality of the National Rugby League is what you’d expect for someone who’s expecting to play more first grade in the coming times. So in a sense many will be suggesting this should have been expected. That’s a side argument; whether or not you expected dominance the fact it was delivered in such a profound way is worth noting. Moreso, whereas as there weren’t any external expectations on Strange last season, Stewart very much entered this game under the watchful eye of most Raiders’ fans. After a mixed-bag of games in NRL in which he’d shown his talent, his heart, and his inexperience in equal value there had been a smidgen, a dash, a pinch even, of trepidation. What if Chevy wasn’t the prince who was promised? What if he wasn’t the saviour? Is he really that much of a talent? This performance will go a long way to settle those nerves.

As it to demonstrate just how far he’s come it’s worth considering it in conjunction with his performance in the corresponding fixture last year. While Strange was busy ripping balls out of the sky and scoring tries with ease, Stewart had a more difficult night. A year young for the competition, he failed to diffuse one kick which resulted in a try for Queensland, and generally looked in a physical battle. Now of age (so to speak) this year he was safe as houses under the Maroon’s bomb-attack, and while the stats tell you this (again, fourteeeeeeen tackle breaks) it was clear that he was the captain now (ok he wasn’t actually captain but you get the reference right?).

The obvious comparison is that this moment last year proved that Ethan Strange was ready for first grade. That’s probably a bit of an exaggeration, and undermines the work he’d put in to get there, and the effort subsequent, that has made him such an important part of the Raiders’ 2024. But it was a signpost so to speak; like Trey Mooney dominating NSW Cup for weeks, it demonstrated that a level of competition was longer fit for him. Stewart has now similarly dispensed with any doubts that he was ready for big boy football. This was a man among boys.

Stewart has spent a good part of 2024 bumping up against the battles of bigger physiques and expectations. I doubt a performance against this level of competition will lead to Coach Stuart to rush him back into the first grade side. But it is indicative of improvement that will support him well when that decision is made. The talent is clear. What matters at the moment is the hunger for the battle. This is proof that feeling is voracious, that the work is paying off, and that progress is being made.

Whether this translates into him pulling a Strange (*ahem*) in 2025 is impossible to tell. But if last night’s game is anything to go by, he’s certainly on his way.

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