BY DAN

Peter V’Landys has reached into the backpack and pulled out a return to the awful six-again rules of 2021.

Look, I hate it. These rules were opposed, then scaled back, for good reason. The hyperdrive they put the game into resulted in more points, bigger margins, less competitive games, and anecdotally at least, more risk of concussion. Putting these in place two seconds before the season starts is the kind of chaos that V’Landys thinks suits the game because it gives idiotic ‘journalists’ something to talk about.

He has a habit of making adjustment difficult. Six years ago, when V’Lando last dropped rule changes haphazardly, the Raiders were not prepared. Two seasons of chaos followed. They rode the wave in 2020 before collapsing in 2021. It was one of the most chaotic seasons in recent Raiders’ memory, with multiple ‘interpersonal challenges’ seemingly heavily influenced by the fact that the game had gone into hyperdrive and changed the nature of play.

Canberra never really adapted, and through 2022 and 2023 they still seemed to be chasing the game. 2024’s reset followed, and last year they unleashed a ferocity on the competition, finally catching up athletically and stylistically to ramp up to a pace and space approach.

There are two main changes the Raiders will be focused on. The first is extending the application of the set-restart rule back to where it was in the chaos of 2021. 80 per cent of the field will be subject to this now (i.e. everything past the 20) which means goodbye to penalties. It’s a silly rule that nearly broke the game last time they tried it, but doing dumb things never stopped Vlando. The second change is to the interchange bench, which now becomes six people long. Same amount of changes per game (eight), but now with more players to choose from.

These changes could suit the Raiders. We know from 2021 this will speed up the game. Or rather, allow teams that are fit and fast to take advantage of that fact. Penrith built a dynasty on being able to ferocious opponents into submission.

The good news is that Canberra are very much built in that style. Yes they are powerful; Big Papa and Joey Taps are hardly pretty little flowers, but they are quick across the park. Outside of Papa their pack is built on being agile. Joey Taps is still as fast as they come as a prop. Corey Horsburgh and Morgan Smithies are workhorses whose games are built on work-rate.

Ata Mariota, Simi Sasagi and Zac Hosking are all built for speed. Even depth players like Noah Martin have the ability to cover all non-rake positions in the pack. This pack won games in 2025 by playing fast and direct.

Guess what an extended six-again rule will lead to? More benefits from playing fast and direct. It’ll mean players like Simi and Zac see extended minutes as mobile 13s. It could even mean more time with dual rakes on the field – meaning possibly more Tommy Starling and more Owen Pattie. Both of them are suited to a ‘2021’ style ruck, able to run when it’s available and play with width as needed.

It also plays to the strengths of other players in Raiders’ spine. Kaeo Weekes will love running at tired middle defenders. Ethan Strange will get more opportunities to run isolated at back-pedalling and tiring defenders now trying to bring down his hunting-tiger impression in no-help (or helpless) situations. Even Ethan Sanders’ life may be made easier because he’ll have more space to run, more time to make decisions, and a simpler palette of choices to choose from. And unlike 2021, the Raiders will plenty of people who can shred in their backline; and in their depth.

The expansion of the interchange bench will also suit the Raiders. I suspect most teams will use their ‘normal’ 17 in the same way they had previously, i.e hooker, two middles, and a forward who can cover edge and middle. Canberra will likely turn Simi Sasagi into the world’s first specialist 18th man, deploying as needed to cover backline, edge or middle, depending on what the game needs or who gets a concussion.

But they’ve also got the capacity to utilise Daine Laurie in a back-up utility role with similar implications but for the spine, or Siona Finau if you want the ability to cover more easily for backline injury or tiring, or perhaps even Jayden Brailey as a possible 9/13 cover. The point is that the extended bench amplifies Canberra’s utility focus over last summer, allowing it space to not just use these Swiss-army-knife players as depth and cover, but actual weapons to deploy if Stick has a hunch.

Like anything there’s no guarantees here. Canberra were faster in 2025. I’m optimistic that’s a permanent thing that will work out, based on style, based on the athleticism and youth in this roster. But changing rules like this mere days from the competition start means everything is in flux. While I would hope that Sticky’s presence on the competition committee means that the Raiders had some inside running and knowledge of what may be likely, and adjusted accordingly, that’s frankly guessing. Anything is possible.

That doesn’t mean the footy will be better though.

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