BY DAN

Ethan Strange won Dally M Five-Eighth of the year before anyone would have reasonably expected. Hudson Young was one of the two back-rowers of the year, just as we’d hoped. Both proved the importance of players developing and performing at different trajectories.

We’ve covered this before. In our typology, team growth depends on the development of players in three different stages: from outside the squad to in, from squad to starter, and from starter to star. You can see these throughout the squad in 2025. Jed Stuart is a good example of someone who went from outside the squad to a part of it. Simi Sasagi was just a part of the squad last season, before becoming a critical unit and oftentimes a starter. Kaeo Weekes was a starter last season. This year he was a lightning bolt.

Ethan Strange and Hudson Young fit into these categories to some degree. Strange is almost the perfect encapsulation of someone going from starter to star. In 2024 Sticky rested him, then played him at centre, because he looked ‘tired’. In 2025 he was a force of nature, powering through oppositions on both sides of the ball like the Tasmanian Devil started lifting. 14 tries, 15 try assists, 18 line breaks. The most ferocious defender at his position in the competition, as demonstrated by his Tackle of the Year award.

But more than just making the leap, what matters is how quickly Strange has made it. While we were all excited about his potential, the still developing areas of his game made it seem that realisation was still years away. And while the growth in his game was made, what changed his trajectory was that his strengths became a battering ram to his opposition. Doing this at 20 was ahead of schedule, and the weapons he has developed will ensure he remains elite for years to come.

This only heightens the excitement that the Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year still has improvement in his game. There was little subtlety to his game in 2025. Moments, yes, but the cloak and dagger of rugby league creativity is still something that will take time. The impact engendered by other facets of his game will give him a buffer as other parts develop, and when fully formed could be something we talk about for generations. For now Canberra can count on his other abilities to ensure they are getting elite play from a 21-year-old five-eighth making the leap.

What Hudson offers is less noticeable but as impactful as young players making the leap: established players continuing to perform like stars. Joe Tapine’s been doing it since 2020. Josh Papalii seemingly can’t help but be good. Hudson Young had his breakout year in 2022, and has been in and around representative teams since 2023. He won the Dally M Back-Rower of the year this season, and just as importantly, the Green Machine Podcast’s Bradley Clyde Player of the Year award, and the Rep Player of the Year. He has been the model of consistency for some time.

And that didn’t end this season, continuing despite Hudson playing the much of the season hurt. While Hudson was elite through the first half of the year, his workload took some toll on his body. Osteitis pubis resulted, something that really only heals with a long off-season break. While Young wasn’t as physically dynamic in the back half of the season, he made sure his effort and output was still elite.

He was successful. A career high in metres (148 per NRL.com), league leading amongst second rowers in tackle busts (97 for the year – the next closest was 76 per Fox Sports), fifth in line breaks at his position, resulted. These are all indicators of yet another career year, as are the accolades. But that he was able to deliver this output while managing the kind of pain he was no doubt experiencing is a huge part of Canberra’s success.

This is an often overlooked but important part of being great: the capacity to continue to contribute, to deliver, to be elite, while managing the bumps and bruises. Coach Stuart has often harped on this when it comes to Xavier Savage. Hudson Young should be his exemplar. S

These ahead-of-schedule and against-the-odds performances are key to exceeding expectations and building resilience in the broader squad. Maybe next year those roles are played by [insert halfback here], Noah Martin or Corey Horsburgh. Maybe it’s Ethan Strange maintaining his 2025 performance with a new partner in the halves. If 2025 is to be the norm rather than the outlier, it will take more of these efforts to sustain progress and take the next step.

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