BY DAN

The nature of the National Rugby League is that you need an entire top 30, and then some to get through the season. While Coach Stuart has given out as many debuts as the next man, his tendency has been to rely on a group of experienced players to drive results. But Canberra’s depth chart won’t allow that this year. The roster is going to play. All of it.

In 2024 only Hohepa Puru was healthy in the top 30 and wasn’t used. In 2023 it was Clay Webb and Semi Valemei. In 2022 everyone was necessary. The grind of the season, the vagaries of form, the need to adjust for potential, are all factors that mean you may have a plan for your 17 in round one. You surely have ideas of how the season might travel. But inevitably it’s all hands on deck.

Where Canberra has tended to differ from conventional approaches, at least in Coach Stuart’s time, is in the tendency to avoid using that depth as much as possible. That has resulted in experienced but more middling performers given roles ahead of young players. Think Trey Mooney watching Emre Guler play. Think Brad Schneider wondering how he gets in front of Matt Frawley or Sam Williams. It’s meant young players have sat on benches for near entire games before being given a run. Rightly or wrongly, Stick prefers older fellas (as an older fella I support this. We are valuable).

But with the current makeup of the roster Stuart is unlikely to be able to pull such a play for the entire season. Canberra enter the 2025 season with a spare spot in their top 30 and plenty of fresh meat at the edges of their roster. The inevitability of injury, origin, and other challenges means at some point they will have to call on all their troops. It might be a starting role. It might be to watch the majority of the game from the bench (lol Stick). But the makeup and the attrition make it likely that all will be used.

We can see how thin the old guard is in the backs, where there’s probably more opportunity for emerging talents than in other years. Assuming the Raiders start Weekes, Hopoate, Kris, Timoko and Savage, any injury or form dip will result in club or NRL debut. Savelio Tamale figures to be pushing for a spot anyway, and Michael Asomua has been there and thereabouts for some time. But this basically means that at some point this year, whether by knocking the door down or being beckoned in, we’ll see new blood in the backs. It could start from round one with reports that Bert Hopoate will miss the first game by being on parental leave.

We can also see it in the spine. Owen Pattie is another not in the top 30 who almost certainly will play. The Tom Starling situation is without further addition, and Danny Levi doesn’t appear (for now) to be a part of the club’s long term future. It makes sense today and tomorrow for Pattie to play plenty this season. If Kaeo, hardly a bastion of experience doesn’t fly then Chevy will get a run. Seb Kris could be moved to the back in a typically Stick move, but that just means Tamale’s chances of playing increase. If Jamal Fogarty gets injured (as he did in 2022 and 2024) Ethan Sanders is the only other seven in the top 30 (Adam Cook isn’t….currently).

Edge forwards are a more interesting situation. Hudson Young should be in Origin camp at points. Zac Hosking is coming from back his third serious injury since he joined the club. Matty Nicholson figures to be amongst it from the get go. If something bad happens then Simi Sisagi is some extra depth. Noah Martin isn’t even (or isn’t currently) in the top 30, and there’s a real chance he’s called on at some point this season. Assistant Coach Brock Shepperd has already said he’s ready for the big time. He might well get his chance.

In fact the only place that Coach Stuart can realistically hold his line is in the middle forwards. Behind Taps, Papa and Big Red, there’s a line of relative experience (Saulo, Mooney, and Mariota) before you hit anything newly harvested. But Emre Guler has now left, freeing up opportunities. Jordan Martin made the field last year and has progressed to the top 30 this year. Myles Martin has joined the squad looking to add ball play and physical defence in the middle, which is exactly what the Raiders desperately need. And Noah Martin could well get his shot here if given a sniff.

We all know the ramifications of this likely reliance on inexperienced players. Stuart, the club, and anyone with a platform has freddy foreshadowed the fuck out of this season. This will be a tough year. In the past Stuart has tried to maintain competitiveness by leaning on experienced elders to drive a side towards the middle of the table rather than introducing uncertainty.

This year he won’t get a choice. Everyone is going to play.

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