The Canberra Raiders were once again something of an inconsistent force in 2024, and wound up missing the finals by the slimmest of margins.
Inconsistency is the nature of a young rugby league side though, and while Canberra do have experience in the forwards, their backline - even more so now with the loss of Jordan Rapana - is young and mostly inexperienced.
That will start to change in the coming seasons as the likes of Sebastian Kris and Matthew Timoko gain more, but they are going to head into the next couple of years with potentially the NRL's youngest halves combination should Ethan Strange and Ethan Sanders - who has made the move from the Parramatta Eels - combine.
That leaves plenty of big recruitment questions for the Raiders, who are believed to have ample salary cap space to make the moves they need to make for 2026.
That always comes with the caveat of players having to relocate to the Nation's capital, but this has the potential to be an exciting rugby league team with the right pieces included.
Current 2026 Canberra Raiders squad
Michael Asomua, Corey Horsburgh, Zac Hosking, Sebastian Kris, Ata Mariota, Myles Martin, Trey Mooney, Matty Nicholson, Ethan Sanders, Pasami Saulo, Morgan Smithies, Chevy Stewart, Ethan Strange, Savelio Tamale, Joseph Tapine, Matthew Timoko, Kaeo Weekes, Hudson Young
Off-contract at end of 2025
Jamal Fogarty (club option), Corey Harawira-Naera (player option), Emre Guler, Albert Hopoate, Danny Levi, Josh Papalii, Hohepa Puru, Simi Sasagi, Xavier Savage, Tom Starling
Current best 17 for 2026
1. Kaeo Weekes
2. Xavier Savage
3. Sebastian Kris
4. Matthew Timoko
5. Savelio Tamale
6. Ethan Strange
7. Ethan Sanders
8. Joseph Tapine
9. No player signed
10. Corey Horsburgh
11. Hudson Young
12. Matty Nicholson
13. Morgan Smithies
Interchange
14. Zac Hosking
15. Ata Mariota
16. Trey Mooney
17. Chevy Stewart
The biggest questions the Raiders need to answer in the coming period is whether to pick up an option on off-contract veteran half Jamal Fogarty.
They need his experience, but given injuries and where the Raiders have finished with him wearing the seven, the question will need to be asked - is he the right player to guide the club to a premiership?
Given Ethan Strange can play in the centres - and Sebastian Kris at fullback - it could well make sense to go and sign an experienced, flarey five-eighth with a strong kicking game to complement Sanders moving forward.
The key to re-sign looks to be Albert Hopoate, with the versatile outside back able to play fullback, centre or wing, and continuing to grow into his career at the top level after an impressive 2024.
Xavier Savage is the other, with the Queenslander a likely future representative player based on his 2024 season, while Tom Starling is also off-contract, but the club may yet decide to look in a new direction at dummy half.
The Raiders are otherwise settled, but certainly need to pick up some key pieces from around the competition if they are going to challenge.
As mentioned, the potential for Canberra to spend big dollars on a five-eighth exists given Ethan Strange doesn't have to line up in the number six, and the club could really do with some experience to play alongside Ethan Sanders.
Brown would bring just that.
The Eels' star signed a long-term deal with his current club, but it is littered with player options, the first of which kicks in for 2026. That means, as it stands, he is free to negotiate elsewhere for 2026, and I'd be surprised if he doesn't at least test his value given the poor performance of Parramatta.
This type of move makes sense on multiple fronts for Canberra given Brown and Sanders already have a relationship from their time in the blue and gold.
The Raiders currently have Xavier Savage, Chevy Stewart, Sebastian Kris or Kaeo Weekes as their potential options to play fullback in 2026.
All four of those players are serviceable options, but none of them scream premiership winner.
Fullback is such a critical position in the modern game though that he must be a premiership-winner.
James Tedesco might be approaching the end of his career at the Sydney Roosters, but has made it clear he wants to continue playing beyond the end of 2025, and still has plenty to offer.
A short-term offer from the Raiders simply makes sense. Bring in one of the game's best on two fronts - to mentor the youngsters and provide plenty of spark to a team filled with youthful talent.
The Raiders are very clearly unsure of where they are heading on the wings in 2026. Neither Xavier Savage or Albert Hopoate have been re-signed yet, and the best 17 we listed earlier currently has arriving centre from the Dragons Savelio Tamale slotting in there.
That realistically means the club needs to make moves on the market to sign wingers, and they could do far worse than look at Ronaldo Mulitalo, who may be tempted to make a move given the emergence of Sam Stonestreet.
Mulitalo would walk into this Canberra starting 17, and the Green Machine could look in far worse directions as they weigh up their recruitment for 2026.
Dummy half is a position the Raiders currently aren't locked into any sort of plan for 2026.
Where they decide to run here will be intriguing. Does Tom Starling re-sign? At any rate, Danny Levi won't be there in 2026, and Starling hasn't been an 80-minute player in recent times.
That means signing a dummy half is a likely necessary issue for Canberra, and there are few better on the market than Reece Robson out of the North Queensland Cowboys.
But it's not just what he provides in attack. If the Raiders are going to improve, its defence is where it needs to start, and Robson is likely the best defensive option on the market right now.
Failing going out and signing James Tedesco, the Raiders could do far worse than turning their attention to Ryan Papenhuyzen.
The star Storm fullback is off-contract at the end of 2025, and while talks are reportedly already underway over a contract extension, he may well look for a change of scenery given Sua Fa'alolo's rise in the Victorian capital, as well as salary cap constraints.
For all the same reasons Tedesco would work in Canberra, Papenhuyzen would too, except this would likely be a longer-term play.