The Canberra Raiders have locked up the double re-signing of young forward Ata Mariota and Michael Asomua.
Mariota will be the instantly recognisable name to fans, having played a key role for the Raiders in the middle third throughout the 2023 season.
It was tipped that multiple clubs were going to go after him following the November 1 deadline for free agents to negotiate had passed, but he has now been taken off the market by the Raiders, who have locked up his future for a further two seasons until the end of 2026.
Joining him in the nation's capital until the end of 2026 is the highly-rated Asomua, who was already in Canberra's development player list until the end of 2024, but has now confirmed he will join the Top 30 in 2025 and 2026.
Mariota, who was born in Samoa and already has 17 first-grade games under his belt, made his debut at the end of 2022 but had arguably his best performance to date in the 2023 elimination final against the Newcastle Knights.
Seen as a big part of the club's long-term strategy to replace the set-to-retire Josh Papalii, the 2023 Raiders rookie of the year was credited as a major improver by the club's recruitment manager, Joel Carbone.
โAta showed us what he's capable of this year and his consistency and improvement saw him awarded with the club's Rookie of the Year award," he said in a statement.
โSince Ata arrived for SG Ball back in 2019, he's gone from strength to strength and is now in a great position to establish himself in the NRL team each week."
The Raiders have spoken about the fact they want to be viewed as a development club for talent in the nation's capital, and Mariota said the number of young players at the club was pushing him to be better.
โCanberra's home now and it's exciting to extend for another two seasons,โ Mariota said.
โI feel comfortable here knowing Ricky has my back and believes in me. The playing group look after me and I'm looking forward to building on last season.
โThere are heaps of young guys coming through the system and it pushes me to be better. There's also a tonne of experience there that I can lean on to make me a better player both on and off the field.โ
Asomua, meanwhile, has impressed through the grades of the Raiders and could push for a first-grade debut in 2024.
"Michael had an outstanding season at NSW cup level and was named player of the year," Carbone said.
"Michael has been with us since Harold Matthews and while he's yet to debut, he has impressed at every level and I'm sure if he continues his form, an NRL debut will be right around the corner.โ
Asomua said his aim is to debut in the NRL during 2024, something that could become a reality if his form continues, with the Raiders having plenty of competition for the uncertainty hanging over the makeup of their best 17 in 2024.
The signing follows the recent confirmation that debutant Hohepa Puru will also stay with the club until at least the end of 2024, with an option to continue into 2025.
