BY DAN

Huzzah!

The Canberra Raiders have extended Kaeo Weekes until the end of 2029, according to Fox Sports.

Nothing about this will surprise you. The money is as reported, with a big bump in the backend of the deal (900k per year in 2028 and 2029). The process is the same as prior, with reporting of first of the negotiations, then a deal being close, with the deal landing about the length of an NRL registration process later. It’s the kind of certainty you could wrap yourself in a call in a Sunday arvo in front of the TV. Cosy up here and let Kaeo give you a hug and make you a cuppa.

It’s a bit of a no brainer. Pick your favourite stat and Kaeo is near the top. Top 10 in line breaks and run metres. Fourth in tackle breaks, 15th in half-breaks, first in kick return metres. It reflects a weapon on the rise, a player capable of turning nothing into the most scintillating weapon since the riff that opens Kadavar’s I Just Want To Be A Sound. Game breaker? More like game wrecker. When you have a player that can do shit like this you keep letting them do that shit.

The cool thing is he’s not even the finished product. His kick positioning is a work in progress. He’s still developing as a ballplayer. He’ll get better at both given time. You can see how quickly he learns in the effectiveness he’s had marshalling the Canberra defence this season. Kaeo is still an infant in football terms, only just now approaching Stick’s magic 50 game mark. There’s development in those bones.

The money is big. 900k at the back end is being bandied about, and that reflects the pay for the top quartile of fullbacks. It’s hard to know how real that is. It could reflect potential earning associated with rep honours, games played or projected cap increases. But regardless it does put a risk on Weekes. I’d argue he’s not quite at that pay level yet, and while he’s shiny now, if he never progresses beyond what he is now that could become an inefficient spend. But as we said the space for improvement is relatively obvious, and progress is already being made. There’s also always a risk with players with elite athleticism that it diminishes with time and/or injury. But you can’t spend your life hiding from risk. It’s not a sure thing but nothing ever is.

The commitment does likely end Chevy Stewart’s time with the club. He’s contracted through next year but I’d expect him to leave for another side this offseason. There’s already teams nipping at his heels. While I’m sure some would prefer him to stay in case he does become the second-coming of James Tedesco, the timing on this just doesn’t work out. He wants to play. It’s unlikely he will ahead of Weekes. There’s little chance of that. There should be no rancour to him for such a move. The club is doing what’s best for them. He needs to do what is best for him.

They also have other fullbacks in the a system. Ethan Alaia has done a good job when given a chance in NsW Cup despite still-progressing physical development. He’s more Scott Drinkwater than Kaeo’s Papenhuyzen likeness. Manaia Waitere has played fullback too. In a sense fullback is the easiest position to fill if this all goes south.

Organisationally it’s a reflection of the talent identification heater the club is on. They’ve basically plucked an entire spine for the second tiers of the NRL, and have some left over. It also shows the effectiveness of Raiders’ developmental capabilities. They taken Weekes, Hosking, Sasagi and others and turned them from sometimes players into certified weapons. There’s a risk all that leaves with Joel Carbone, but as Donnie Funbuns said on Jimmy Smith’s show the other day, it’s a team effort. Let’s hope he’s not projecting a hope rather than a reality.

Regardless, Canberra have a hit a home run here. A win the length of a Kaeo Weekes’ missile masquerading as a line break. They’ve never quite landed on a long term fullback in recent years. Kaeo Weekes is one they can build around for years to come.

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