The Old Seb Kris

Seb Kris seems on the outer, and it’s not unreasonable to wonder if he’s played his last game for the Canberra Raiders. The presence of young talent and better options may have made his absence less notable. But it’s just made me wonder: what happened to the old Seb Kris?

Kris has had a few evolutions at the Raiders. I remember when he first played first grade in 2019 the pitch was that he was a defensive centre. A burly body wrapped in headgear that would keep the edge tidy. He got a few games, didn’t look dynamic but did look responsible. For a team that had rarely had defensive acumen in that key position it felt like a novelty.

Then during Covid football became secondary to his own mental state. He left the game altogether, staying fit running deliveries between houses as a courier. He came back to the game in 2021 seemingly more desperate to make football happen.

He still wasn’t the player he would become. There was a time where he was thought almost a backrower, and even played there briefly in the Warriors game where he and Ryan James headbutted each other (unintentionally). There were times during this period where we wondered if he was maybe a lock. Definitely a backrower? Right? In a world struggling to come to terms with the first disgusting phase of Vlandoball, it seemed a possible way forward.

Then all of a sudden he had pace. And power. I am still baffled why that change happened. Something changed athletically in him. Perhaps growth – despite being around the club for several years he was still only 23 at the time. Perhaps it was a change to his training regimen. Maybe it was some combination of all of those things.

14 tries followed in 2022. He established himself as a first-choice centre. He looked lithe, fast, attacking the line with confidence. He took a brief sojourn to fullback in 2023, recognition that he’d really moved on from the ‘is he a slow centre or a mobile backrower’ conversation. It was also recognition of malleability, his improvement in multiple facets of the game including under the high ball and as the second man on attacking sweeps.

He wasn’t great at it (wasn’t awful either). He showed he had decent pace but nothing like most elite fullbacks. He was safe under the high ball but often a step late or a spot too wide on grubbers. His creativity as second man was pretty good, but not offering either the elite passing game of a Scott Drinkwater or the stop-stop-gone of Kaeo Weekes.

It definitely solidified that centre was his best position. Upon moving back towards the end of the season he scored a try I’ll always remember where he first ran around the Tigers, then broke the fullback’s ankles, then ran back through them. Players converged around him but he was just too damn quick to stop.

It seemed he’d settled, and found his position. So much so that at the beginning of this season when it was reported that Simi Sasagi was competing for a starting centre position, no one considere the player who would miss out over the longer term was Kris rather than Matt Timoko. Given how important Timoko has been to the club since 2021, that was a statement of validation for Kris.

But this season has not repaid that faith. Of the players used at centre by the Raiders this year, Kris has the lowest average in tackle busts (2.1 per game), line breaks (0.4), the lowest try involvements (0.4), the second lowest run metres (107.2m, only above Daine Laurie), and the second highest missed tackles (2.9 per game, only exceeded by Simi Sasagi who defended the last half of the season without a left shoulder). With the exception of line breaks, these numbers are all worse than 2025 and from his most statistically impressive year in 2023.

To say it’s been an underwhelming season for Seb is fair. He hasn’t even been able to get a spot at centre when Sasagi has sat out, with even Savelio Tamale playing ahead of him in the recent Sharks game. He’s also got the ability to play wing, such as when he replaced Tamale there mid-game against the Dragons. But Jed Stuart and Xavier Savage have kept him down the depth chart despite numerous uninspiring performances.

It’s unclear where this leaves Seb. There are rumours of a deal awaiting him at the New Zealand Warriors. Then the Titans popped up as a possible destination. Don Furner has insisted no permission has been given for him to leave his current deal early. He wasn’t included on the ‘farewelling players’ alongside other known and previously mooted departures, displayed on the Bruce Stadium scoreboard after the last home game.

The noise may just be a reminder from his agent to the Raiders that if they don’t want to play him, other people do. The club would be smart to keep him. At his best he is one of Canberra’s best four outside backs. A mixture of him, Sasagi, Tamale, Timoko and Savage would ensure that the Raiders have quality at every position, competition and depth to spare.

But that obscures the central problem. As much I love Kris at his best, as much as we value the power, the pace, the combination with Xavier Savage and the reliability and versatility of his skill set, it’s fair to say right now he’s not one of the first choice in the backline. Maybe his next step is to the wing. Maybe he’ll make centre his again. Maybe he’ll go to another club.

Whatever happens, it may take another evolution to get him back there again.

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