BY DAN

Next season Ethan Sanders will almost certainly be the starting halfback for the Canberra Raiders.

Given how Jamal Fogarty has performed this year, and when healthy in previous, that’s a weight of expectation. Given how the team has gone this season – so far, fingers crossed – it’s a big risk. Canberra have unquestionably been building and now they’re turning this over to a novice? Will Sanders’ timeline match the rest of the squad? Or will his development hold a growing team back?

Last weekend’s NSW Cup game wasn’t a definitive performance by Sanders, but it was a positive sign for the Raiders. It was his second game back since the facial fracture that kept him out for the best part of six weeks. More than previous games this NSW Cup season, he seemed to hold the tiller of the team, guiding them around the park, taking the majority of opportunities to kick, and generally being the field general he’ll need to be next year. And he looked great doing it.

The team looked sharp with him taking the ball at first receiver, and he (interestingly) formed a good partnership with the fullback Ethan Alaia. While he was primarily stationed on the left he was happy to shift to the right when there was an opportunity and space to play there. And it resulted in good offerings, most notably a brilliant involvement in a Trey Mooney try. Sanders caught the ball off a good pass from Pasami Saulo, hit the line, sliced between two defenders and drew the fullback. It was the kind of direct and dynamic running from a halfback the Raiders have only really ever got on occasion in recent years.

This was typical, but not the only time Sanders was critically involved in the attack. You can see it, along with some other pleasing moments like Sanders setting up Noah Martin here. And his long kicking was also well targeted and kept pushing the opposition back (noting that with the camera angles Henson Park it was hard to tell precisely where kicks were starting and ending). The Raiders took the lead for good when he kicked a bomb so high Cypress Hill is going to sample it on their next album. An error from the Jets fullback, a frankly unnecessary flick pass from Trey Mooney, and suddenly Canberra were ahead.

Sanders unfortunately could have had two tries of his own. After the Raiders had done well to keep the Town out through back to back red zone sets, Ethan Alaia took a slips catch to earn a 7 tackle set, and Michael Asomua tore to the 20 metre line. He passed to Ethan Sanders, who, if he had caught it would have had no one but 75 metres in front of him. NSW Cup angles are hilarious, so I cannot tell if the pass was off the mark – it didn’t seem so. Either way he dropped it cold.

A literal set later he sparked a break down the right hand side, setting Joe Roddy into space. He backed up on the inside and again dropped the ball with nothing but the line in front of him. But even that moment was a break he created, and on the right. So it had pleasing aspects to it.

This is one game. Not enough to bank on, but something that showed why the club is so certain about Sanders. He may not be perfect, or even preferred every week next year, but he’s showing the talent that we’re hoping comes to the fore is starting to poke through. Nothing is promised in rugby league but part of making first grade is showing you’re too good for Cup.

In this game Sanders certainly was, but it’s a single data point. We’ll keep watching, and maybe if Gus Gould gets his wish and Ethan Strange gets picked for Origin (he’s not going to), Sanders will get more game time in the top line. That would be a new data point.

There’s plenty of development still left in his game. You’d like to see him ice those opportunities we mentioned earlier. He did well in defence in this game but there will be further step up both in size and athleticism of those running the ball at him in the future. In recent times he’s been prone to letting Adam Cook run the show, and next season there will be different and better players who’ll be sharing the ball with him. He’s also been victim to the whims of a pack that inexplicably doesn’t always dominate despite having more NRL level talent in it than some NRL teams.

But if there’s reticence about having a top level footy side turned over to him he’s not showing it. He seems assured, like he’s getting ready to do a job he’s preparing his whole life for.

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