BY DAN

An under-reported departure towards the end of the season was that of assistant coach Mick Crawley.

Crawley had been with the club since 2022 – his third stint at Canberra. He was brought in to rejuvenate a moribund attack that had flattened since his last spell in the 2015 – 2018 era. Now he’s off to the Dragons, just as he did in 2018. History, it keeps repeating. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

He never really succeeded this time around. The attack through 2022, 2023 and 2024 always seemed stuck in third gear. Never awful, never inspiring, just “fine.” Eighth in the league in ’22, 13th in ’23, and down to 15th in ’24. It wasn’t the revitalisation many had hoped for when he returned.

The attack did rebound in ’25, buoyed by the electric talents of Kaeo Weeks and Ethan Strange, and guided by the direction and booming boot of Jamal Fogarty. But by then, the hand on the tiller belonged to Justin Giteau. That call has proven a smart one: Canberra finished with the fourth-best attack in the league, leading in several indicators including tackle breaks. Without pretending to know the inner workings of the Raiders’ coaching room, it’s fair to say Giteau’s rise rendered Crawley surplus to requirements.

In his place, Canberra have brought in Eric Smith, with a remit to focus on the other side of the ball. That’s a clear vote of confidence in Giteau’s offensive stewardship. Smith will work alongside Brock Shepperd and Chris Lewis on solving the persistent issues down the Raiders’ right edge.

Smith also continues an emerging trend in Canberra’s coaching hires: fewer ex-professionals like Brett White or Cappy McFadden, and more “footy coaches” whose careers were built on understanding and teaching rather than playing at the top level. Giteau, Smith, Shepperd and Andrew Bishop all fit that mould.

I don’t hate that. Plenty of great coaches weren’t stars themselves. Those who could “do” rarely had to analyse, explain or communicate. Those who’ve spent their careers doing exactly that often end up more effective. The 21 year-long path that has brought Smith through a range of clubs and to the Canberra staff is valuable.

Either way, it’s a fascinating challenge for this new coaching group. As a website, and as a fan base, we tend to overemphasise personnel and underappreciate the structures and combinations that underpin them. Swapping out one player on the right edge won’t fix what went wrong there in 2025. It’s a problem with many inputs. In footy, as in life and health, most problems aren’t solved at the point of failure, but through broader improvements in circumstance. Smith would be wise to remember that.

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