BY DAN

The Canberra Raiders top 30 continues to get crowded, with the Canberra Times reporting that Jed Stuart has been extended until the end of 2026. This includes an implied upgrade from the developmental list to the first grade squad.

He joins Joe Roddy, Manaia Waitere, Noah Martin and Jake Clysdale in making that leap next year, a noteworthy injection of youth in what was already one of the youngest squads in the competition.

For Stuart it’s just reward, proving even the most hardened sceptics wrong (it’s me, I’m the sceptic). In 2024 I had written that he didn’t stand out in Cup, so it was a surprise to see him floated as a possible debutant. In 2025 he did debut, and while my position then was similar – with the addition that there weren’t any better options – he showed that while he wasn’t particularly brilliant at any aspect of the game, he did very little wrong. Among a team playing excellent footy he didn’t take anything off the table, and even added some brilliant moments of his own.

His reward has been an elongated time with the first grade side, mostly through injury but with demonstrated value. He’s proven that while he’s not the most powerful, agile, or quick winger, he offers an ability in defence, some good hands in attack and adequate efforts in yardage and under the high ball to be a good first grade winger, particularly as a ‘first drop’ option.

There will be more competition in the top 30 outside backs next year, meaning he may not get as many opportunities. Siona Finau, Manaia Waitere, Michael Asomua, will all be in a squad that felt light in outside backs last season. If Daine Laurie also joins, as implied by recent reporting, then Jed may not even be ‘first drop’. That’s a good position for the Raiders to be in.

But it does raise questions about just what is going to happen with this top 30. By my count there’s only one position left, and if Canberra are chasing both depth at halfback or a backup one, it implies the departure of at least Chevy Stewart, and potentially others. The reporting did say in the aftermath of Stewart’s pokies activism incident that the club intended on keeping him, but the Canberra Times have since confirmed his frustration at his spot in the depth chart, and the need to free up spots to get Laurie.

If that’s the case it’s not clear what this means for other chases (like Jonah Pezet) and what other change may follow. If the Pezet chase is real then it may need to result in further change. I’m not ready to speculate where that might come. We’ll have to see how far along that gets before considering it an eventuality.

But we had flagged that Canberra needed to work out what it was doing with Stuart. Evidently they already had. It’s good news for Jed, and for the club.

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