BY DAN

The Canberra Raiders have undergone a fair bit of change in their outside backs recently. Jordan Rapana and Nic Cotric went overseas. James Schiller has left for Newcastle. Xavier Savage has locked down one wing, and ‘Bert Hopoate is suddenly looking like a presumptive first grader. Savelio Tamale could be anything (and all of them are probably good). The Milk have gone from competition for spots to not entirely being sure if they have a full set.

Into this vacuum steps Michael Asomua. He’s a rare mix of promise and, to an odd degree for someone so young, certainty. He’s already played 49 games in Cup footy, and would have cracked the 50 mark had he not spent the second half of last season on the sidelines with an ankle injury. He’s been promised a top 30 for some time now. We knew before the 2024 season he’d start the 2025 season in the main squad roster – another of the Noah Martin, Vena Patuki-Case style promotion based on potential. He’s been part of Junior Australian side, under 19 NSW Origin teams, and a whole host other accolades, including Raiders NSW Cup player of the year in 2023.

Before his injury last season he averaged the best part of four tackle busts a game in Cup. Ethan Strange was the only regular first grader that difficult to tackle last year. The 144m on the ground was gained in a style more reminiscent To’o than Tupou (Daniel). More Supercar than Ferrari. And more metres per game than any regular outside back in first grade other than Bert Hopoate (per FoxNRL stats). It’s not fair to compare Cup to the top line – no one should be pretending it’s translatable. But it forms part of the story of a talented young player ready to make his mark.

But he’s almost forgotten in this mix of options. We’re all very excited about Tamale, as well we should be. Bert Hopoate has been favoured by the club over the last few years, primarily for a workrate that would make Alexey Stakhanov smile. The Raiders have seemingly brought Izaac Thompson into the mix. Canberra need someone to step up. The expectation of who that would be seems to have been coloured not by the performance of Asomua or others last year, but rather a mixture of hope (Tamale), expectation (Hopoate), and absence (Asomua).

If Asomua had been tearing up the NSW Cup competition at the back end of last year instead of rehabilitating an injured ankle then perhaps the conversation is different. That’s partly an out-of-sight, out-of-fake-teamlist situation. When someone isn’t in the conversation it stays that way until something they do on the field reverses that. We’re only human. But it’s rare for someone so vaunted, so expected in previous summers to become a passing mention, like a friend we used to know. Oh Michael? Yeah I heard he hurt his ankle. Hope he’s doing ok. There’s also a chance that he would have already been overtly in mix and may have debuted last year.

In a sense the club is partly to blame. Not to lay fault, but Asomua’s injury situation was a black box last year. It’s a common part of most injuries in lower grades. HQ includes them in the injury updates but the information is often incomplete, not updated or sporadically so. Only family members and absolute nuffies like you and me really are getting that deep into it anyway. It’s just not worth the effort. But it contributes to this phenomenon of the forgotten hope.

Asomua should not be forgotten. Because he’s a talented footballer and only young, with plenty ahead of him. Because the Raiders desperately need someone to step up and prove they are ready to be an every week first grader, and because they need more dynamism in their back five. Much of Canberra’s success in the coming years will be determined by their ability to turn their young players into proven commodities. Even the best team can’t turn every project in an award winner. Multiple shots are critical. The Milk won’t have given up on Asomua just because he’s out of our fleeting attentions.

Sign up to the mailing list below and I’ll write you an acrostic poem like I wrote Harry. Ok then, like the page on Facebook, follow me on BlueSky, or share this on social media. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not. Feature Image courtesy of Karleen Minney