BY DAN

26 weeks is a long time. Half a year. Nearly all of the NRL season. More than an AFL season, the same as an A League season, or an old school ashes tour, replete with Michael Slater pumping Derbyshire around the joint. It’s also the time it takes Ricky Stuart to end up with the lineup we thought he might lean on much of the year. For the first time since July (and arguably all season) the Canberra Raiders have picked something approximating their most logical team list.

This is obviously with limits. Injuries to Jordan Rapana and Elliott Whitehead has removed them as options. Zak Hosking and Pasami Saulo would have been considered too if their respective seasons hadn’t been shut down ages ago. I’m sad that Hohepa Puru and Chevy Stewart aren’t in the frame and keen to see more of Owen Pattie because NSWRL TV refuses to cover our Cup games as much as I’d like. But for the most part when we look at the Milk’s best available 17, this is what we come up with.

This includes Ethan Strange, who for the first time since the Bunnies game will be lining up at five-eighth without a backup plan painfully obvious on the bench. Let’s accept that Stuart’s claim that he was tired and needed managing was true, and assume that the minor calf injury that kep him out the last two weeks was linked to that. It’s good to see him healthy and hearty and ready to rock and roll. As we’ve said too many times getting him some reps is important. Getting them alongide Jamal Fogarty hasn’t happened as much as we’d have hoped this year. Finally he gets an opportunity. 

Obvious Fog is back, which I hope is indicative a hamstring of total health. He seemed pretty keen to get back on the field in his ‘interview’ with Tom Starling after the Roosters game. I’m glad he gets on the field for his own sanity. I had said I wouldn’t be upset if they rested him, but if he’s healthy then let him have a run. It’s the last day of school after all. 

Simi Sasagi starts at backrow, or at least is named there. He’d be my third choice at that spot but well you know what happened to the other two. He had his best game for the Milk on the weekend, and one would assume he’d be backed up by Ata Mariota covering minutes there should Simi not be able to go the distance for whatever reason. 

But all that is burying the lede. The more exciting bit of this teamlist is the balance in the middle rotation. Papa and Taps are named to start, but Canberra have named Corey Horsburgh, Trey Mooney and Ata Mariota as their bench forwards. I can’t remember if we’ve managed that combination this year yet but it’s definitely something I’d have hoped we’d have had plenty of looks at. Mooney is power, Mariota is flexibility and cover, Horse could allow the Raiders to spell Smithies in the middle third and inject a bit more width in the attack. Unless I’m mistaken, this balanced collective hasn’t played together yet. I hope this isn’t the end of it.

It only took the Raiders 26 rounds, 23 games and multiple permutations to get there. It’ll likely only last for one game. I can’t wait to see how it goes.

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Feature image courtesy of Keegan Carroll