BY DAN

The Canberra Raiders just keep winning.

The very handsome George Clarke of AAP is reporting that Tommy Starling is on the verge of signing a new two year deal with the Canberra Raiders.

It’s a massive turnaround for the club. Earlier in this season the assumption had been that Tommy would sign elsewhere. This was simply a matter of structural demand. He wanted a full time job. Canberra didn’t wanna give it to him. Other clubs did. There were rumours that he was headed for Souths, and that the Cowboys and the Eels were interested, before it was reported that Canberra had even commenced negotiating with him.

It felt hopeless. Of course this noise could have come from Starling’s agent. But it hit at a challenge the Raiders were facing. How do convince a player that wants a full time job to stick around for a job share role? Why would a player let his market value be limited as one of the best hooker prospects of a generation learns his job and expands his power? Somehow those questions may have been answered.

The pitch was likely built on the relationships he has at the club, and his and the club’s success this season. Starling has long been known as a good friend of Hudson Young, but it seems he’s taken up more space as a central personality in the club over the last few years, and even a leadership role this season. He’s connected at multiple points across the club, and given the tumultuous time he’s had over the last few years, bedding down those roots might feel good.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s in career-best form. It’s not so much that he’s improved markedly. He has his unique talents – power to weight ratio and pace among them. But the more traditional elements usually found on a dummy-half’s skill tree remain absent. His passing still has it’s moments, and his creative capacities are mostly related to he and Hudson Young sharing the same set of eyes. But the club has found better ways to use him, and when the pack is dominant he can do what he does best and get his Forrest Gump on. Starling may see the club knows his game best, and that will be the best thing for his career.

For the club this is an unequivocal win, should they land it. Starling and Owen Pattie are perfect complements. Tommy is all heart and athleticism. Pattie is already emerging as a highly skilled schemer. It gives you such flexibility in how you might wish to use each player. The pack isn’t getting anywhere? Bring on Owen to create the space. The game is fast and tiring? You need defence in the middle. Tommy will make 50 tackles in 50 minutes and be able to make 50 more given the chance.

You can even play them together. With Starling’s ability to take on bigger players, and willingness to do a passable impression of other jobs on the field, there’s a world in which they spend more time playing together, if needed. As the minutes that that Pattie and Starling play invert in the coming seasons, it will only make Starling’s offering more impactful, terrorising teams around the break.

It’s sets the club up well to transition. Many of their decisions recently have been guided by this need. This is possibly the best executed. Starling will be in his late 20s by the end of this deal, with Pattie just entering his prime. Canberra will be well placed to work out if it’s Starling or Shaun Packer who should stick around to play second fiddle to Pattie (Jayden Brailey would be into his 30s by then and a less attractive retention option).

While Tommy’s athleticism might no longer be elite by that point, the transition to wily old vet is a well worn path. Giving Starling (and Brailey) on the same transitional responsibilities a host of other contracts on makes the Raiders roster look balanced in away it’s rarely been.

People may have concerns that he’s additional to requirements with Pattie, Brailey and Packer in the pipeline, but I disagree. You need three good hookers to manage the vagaries of the NRL season, and if that means Brailey has to play NSW Cup like Danny Levi is, then that’s fine with me. It’s excellent insurance. And even you don’t agree with that, and believe like many that Brailey is surplus to requirements, then the position that we should let Starling go because Brailey was signed risks making two bad decisions instead of one.

There is a risk that Canberra are paying at the top of the market for Starling. This is possible but wouldn’t be consistent with recent decisions like their newfound contractual discipline displayed in the Jamal Fogarty negotiations. One would think this deal is a manageable rate but of course we simply don’t know.

Of course this isn’t done yet. But it’s such a positive step, given where we came from and where we are. Tommy seems to be sticking around. That’s another victory.

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