BY DAN

Morgan Smithies will be a Raider until at least the end of 2027, per the Canberra Times.

It resolves one of the most bizarrely long negotiations in recent memory. Canberra have been in discussions with the Englishman since July, and it’s now basically February before a deal has been made. It’s not clear why this has taken so long. Smithies was clear in July he saw his future in Canberra. Clearly his management took a bit more convincing. But we can all move on now, safe in the knowledge that Smithies’ situation has been confirmed for the next 24 months.

It’s only a one-year extension on his current deal. To me that suggests that his management had been hoping that the Perth Bears entry to the market may have a role in ginning up a bit more cash for their client. It didn’t work this time, but by signing him to a single-year extension, it means they can have another crack, this time with the Chiefs as the competition for the signature. Only time will tell if that comes to pass.

Evidently right now though there wasn’t much demand on the market. That makes sense. Smithies isn’t the sexy signing a new club wants on their roster, rather a complementary piece that good sides need as a spakfilla. He doesn’t average big metres (83 per game in 2025), or offload (8 in 2025), or bust tackles (14 in the 2025 season; no regular player had less for the Milk). He’s almost as likely to be taken down for a short gain (45 per cent of runs were less than 7 metres in 2025) than he is to crack a fat one (55 per cent of carries over 8 metres). He is not exciting, or powerful.

But Smithies has been a useful player for the Milk, an important defender in the middle third, and a hardworking player whose efforts cover for the sins of others. The defensive workrate of him, Corey Horsburgh and Tom Starling, allows players like Josh Papalii, Ata Mariota, and to a lesser extent, Joe Tapine, to focus their energies on the offensive side of the ball. He’ll always be more useful to the Milk than the Bears or Chiefs. But that won’t stop his management trying to leverage their interest.

The paper also revealed it won’t be formal (i.e. announced by the club) for some time, reflecting the lack of formalisation between the announcement of Ata Mariota’s deal in November and the radio silence from the club. Those two are represented by the same management company. I presume Sam Ayoub has taken an even longer holiday. Maybe he can’t find a pen? Or doesn’t have a printer at his house? Immigration wants proof Morgan isn’t Dolph Lundgren’s offspring? Your guess is as good as mine.

But for now, we’re satisfied this means that Smithies’ situation is clear. Instead of wondering why a deal can’t be done we can end our collective nightmare and celebrate that Morgan is a Raider for another year.

The Sportress is transitioning away from Facebook and Twitter for distribution so sign up to the email below before we disappear from your feed altogether. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not. Feature image courtesy of Keegan Carroll.