Moses Leota and the Raider Raise

It’s a bit early for a Raider Raise, right?

It’s only August and the Raiders are already deep into their recruitment and retention phase. 2026 hasn’t gone the way they would have preferred, and there’s a changing of the guard occurring, specifically in relation to the big boppers who, with one noted exception (hold me Joe, you make me feel safe), have not handled this season well.

Canberra have responded by letting a bunch go. What’s a collective noun of props? A buffet? I’ve been through the list of these players so often in these pages I’m surprised predictive text just doesn’t start listing names as soon as I open a document. Papalii, Smithies, Clydsdale, maybe Horsburgh and Brailey. Mooney and Saulo before that. For a twelfth placed side that might be the entire rotation.

So Canberra need to get into the market. We know it, they know it, and the agents of the rugby league world know it. Enter Moses Leota, currently renegotiating a deal with the Panthers. The Raiders would like him. That makes sense. He’s a good prop, and they currently are guaranteed to have one, maybe two of them for next season. Are they likely to get him? Probably not, but park that for now.

The good news is that Moses’s manager, Gavin Orr, knows Canberra are in the market, and has helpfully provided some quotes to the esteemed and always fact-driven human person, the Mole, to say that Leota’s process of renegotiation is tough because it involves having to listen to offers from a host of teams, including the Raiders.

It’s a tough situation for Penrith because they have so many players in demand and Moses understands that. We reported to them the interest from at least six clubs with the Raiders, Eels, Titans and Roosters leading the way but we have to wait until they see what Cleary and Yeo are doing – Gavin Orr

Tough life hey?

The nature of the Panthers success has led to them having to let go everyone but the most important and efficient spends. Middles tend to cost a lot (remember when we were going to pay Leo Thompson $800-900k a year?), and their output is less guaranteed, particular when they’re in their 30s. Like Leota.

As noted by the League Eye Test, the performance of props declines as they progress in their 30s. So anyone paying Moses will be paying for past performance, and as the superannuation ads say, past performance is not a reliable indicator. 

So there is a world where Moses leaves because the ‘Riff want to spend their money on smarter investments. Canberra’s dearth of talent would make even an ageing Leota an improvement on their current situation. The argument is there for the Raiders and it has merit.

But then we get to the rub. Would he actually come to the Raiders? No.

Sorry, did you want a more thorough evaluation? Oh ok. Canberra are one of six in the market. That market includes Penrith, the Roosters, and the Eels. The ‘Riff are only letting him into the market ahead of 1 November to see what his value is, so unless those numbers come back astronomical, they’ll likely seek to keep him.

If they don’t, the Roosters and Eels can both offer easier moves, the same money, and more glamorous environments than Braddon. Maybe Joe Tapine gets in Moses’ ear. More likely the Raiders are in that list for the same reasons Orr included the Titans: as a warning to the world that they better come with bags of cash or there’s suckers galore that will.

Sometimes we get frustrated at the invocation of the Raider Raise but in this case I’m happy. It’s good news that Canberra are playing some eyes up footy about their recruitment. As we covered here, there’s a glaring weakness in the Raiders’ roster going into 2027, and its props. There’s not enough of them, and not enough good ones. Leota would be a good, if rapidly depreciating, way to address that problem. He could even provide a bridge until Jesse Milin and Vena Patuki-Case are ready for regular first grade minutes, and for Ata Mariota to be the big dog we all hope he can be.

He probably won’t come but it’s good that the Raiders are aware of what they need. Or maybe it’s concerning the wound is so big even people sitting 800 kilometres away with glasses (that’s me!) can see it. Regardless, it seems the doctor is in and trying to treat the matter.

But doing this will necessitate them getting involved in discussions like this, trying to turn long shots into slam dunks, invoking the Raider Raise more than we’d like. It might not get them Moses Leota (and it will get them Lipoi Hopoi) but at least they’re looking in the right direction.

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