BY DAN

The Canberra Raiders are resting ten players for this weekend’s game against the ‘Phins. Long live the Baby Raiders II: Nuck and Thunder.

It makes perfect sense. There’s so little to gain from playing, and a host of benefits from resting stars. The last thing you want is for Ethan Strange (per esempio) suffering the wrath of the HIA gods this weekend and missing the game that actually matters next week. That’s on top of the need to rest players for injury management, as flagged with Kaeo Weekes and likely Hudson Young, or because it’s their first season in football and they might just be tired (like Jed Stuart).

Left manning the ship is Corey Horsburgh as captain, which is a surprising choice. Horse plays big minutes and big roles most weeks. He’s a critical ball runner and an important part of the defensive integrity of the middle. His ability to link play through the middle is central to the Raiders’ east–west attack. Normally, that workload would be a reason to rest him. But evidently, he wants to play.

To that end it’s pleasing to see him get the acknowledgement of the captaincy. He’s come a long way this season, and brings a smile to see him thriving. Life is one big wild twist of fate, and if you’d told me this time last year that Red would be captaining the Milk in round 27, well let’s just say I would’ve said something that rhymes with “Net Pucked.”

Of the other ‘regulars’ still playing, most have a purpose. Ata Mariota gets a chance to play big minutes, along with Horse and Morgan Smithies in the middle. Owen Pattie will l probably get somewhere between 50 and 60 minutes, as will Noah Martin. Matty Nicholson and Sav Tamale get more time to get their bodies right before the games become high stakes, while Seb Kris returns after a week off. I’m a little surprised Matty Timoko is playing, but with Manaia Waitere on the bench I’m fairly certain it won’t be for long. 

The mass Ferris Buellering does mean debuts and returns of players we haven’t seen in a while. Chevy Stewart gets his first game of the season, as do Danny Levi and Adam Cook (update: actually it’s Levi’s second game this year). Ethan Sanders gets another chance to show he’s ready for next year. Trey Mooney is on the bench, but one suspects he might play the most minutes out of all the middles.

Waitere is joined by a long-awaited debut for Michael Asomua. In a side keen to show it has more depth in the back five, they get their opportunity to prove it. Joe Roddy is also on the bench. What if instead of inexplicably having five first-grade quality backrowers, the Milk had six?  

Either way, it’s a time of excitement for the Raiders. Younger players get a chance against a relatively good footy team, and a platform to show they’re ready for first grade.

It’s a chance for Canberra to start stress-testing its long term plans. And if you watched the team list announcement video, you would see how much that clearly matters to Asomua, ‘Nuck’ and ‘Rod-Dog’. It harkens back to the Baby Raiders game of 2020, when Sam Williams led a bunch of fringe players to a celebratory victory. We don’t know what the future holds for this group (like we didn’t for players like Darby Medlyn or Jarret Subloo who got their only game time for the Milk in the 2020 version). It’s pleasing to see them get a just reward for years of hard work. 

I bet they do us proud. Just they did last time.

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