BY DAN

One outcome of Friday’s wet fart of a game was that the Raiders effectively confirmed their starting right centre was no longer Matt Timoko. At least for now.

Matty Timoko had held the position for the best part of four years, and generally looked pretty handy doing it. A damaging, if under-utilised, runner, his work in exit sets was, and remains, a criminally underrated aspect of his game. His passing has always been great, for New Zealand at least, even if he’s never had many opportunities to show it for Canberra.

Of course he was the face of the defensive frailty that hamstrung the team in 2025, and that combined with an injury that kept him out of the last month of the preseason, put his role as starting right centre in jeopardy.

That was all Simi Sasagi needed. In the first two rounds he has gone full circle. He joined the Raiders as a second-row project – a centre that might be able to make the move at a club in desperate need of post-Smelly help. Now he’s back at his home in the centres, having eventually proven himself capable of handling all positions across the backrow.

In both games he’s been a shining spot despite the Milk’s inconsistent performance. He’s looked assured in defence, and a weapon in attack, combining well with Ethan Strange on the right. He’s averaged 160 metres and 6.5 tackle breaks across the two games, and looks to have taken hold of the spot for the time being.

But at the end of the blowout against the Warriors, a subtle shift in strategy may indicate that plan is being usurped by matters beyond Sasagi’s or Timoko’s control.

Canberra found middle trucking difficult, losing control of the middle over the game. This was driven by poor contact and discipline in defence, a problem that saw Sasagi shifted from right centre to middle to solve.

That problem is a real one for the Milk, as we noted yesterday. Josh Papalii’s return will stabilise their ability to control the ruck. But Coach Stuart may see it as such a problem it requires him to double down. That would mean bringing Sasagi’s workrate and energy to the ruck, and allowing Timoko back into his old space.

How likely this is will he determined by how real you see the problem in the middle. If you’re of the belief that it will get solved with the return of Big Papa, then the addition isn’t necessary. Timoko can sit at the end of the 19, only to be deployed if a back falls foul of the injury gods. After all, you’ve got a Stephen Crichton to corral. You need your best defender.

If you believe it’s critical, then build with Papa and Simi. In Vlandoball keeping up in the middle is all that matters. Perhaps sending more resources to win the middle is what you need. After all, if you don’t win the middle then it won’t matter who’s defending at right edge; no one can stop Stephen Crichton with acres of space.

My guess is Stick goes halfway, keeping Simi-to-lock up his sleeve, something to deploy if needed late in the game. It’s a short turnaround, and Ricardo Stuart will always choose to dance with what brung him if he can.

He’ll need to manage his bench well then; Timoko would likely be behind Brailey, Mariota, Smithies and Hosking in that scenario. He’ll also sacrifice any ability to build connection between ‘Mokes and Strange. Remember, the shift of Ethan was meant to reveal just how effective Timoko could be in defence. It’s hard to do that fifteen minutes at a time, especially when you’ve spent your whole career playing 80 minutes at a time.

It’s times like this we don’t envy Stuart. Canberra’s mixed start to the season is making these decisions feel heavier than ever before. Stick’s got options, headaches, and decades of pain and shadows to jump at. Maybe he’s moving to solve a problem. Maybe he’s picking his best 17/19. Maybe it’s chaos. How would I know, I’m just three kids in an overcoat trying to punch out a vibe.

What’s clear is this: the right centre spot is up for grabs, the middle needs help, and the Raiders season is already facing more questions than Ashton Kutcher trying to order some drive-thru (And then?). Stuart’s got problems and solutions galore. Here’s hoping they’re the right ones.

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