Canberra Raiders 2021 NRL season preview: Matt Timoko’s rise, Jarrod Croker
Losing an Origin star can be a hammer blow to your premiership hopes, but the Raiders’ nursery is ready to roll out a new Nick Cotric.
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After three preliminary final appearances in five years, plus falling agonisingly short in the 2019 grand final, Canberra remains in a position to challenge for the NRL title once again.
NRL expert Nick Campton does a deep dive into what 2021 could entail for the Raiders.
2020 ladder position: 5th
Ins: Caleb Aekins (Panthers), Ryan James (Titans), Harry Rushton (Wigan)
Outs: John Bateman (Wigan), Nick Cotric (Bulldogs), Michael Oldfield (Eels)
Players in the 2020 Rich 100: 6 —27. Jack Wighton ($800,000), 56. Josh Papalii ($660,000), 60. Josh Hodgson ($650,000), 70. Elliot Whitehead ($620,000), 73. Jarrod Croker ($600,000), 82. Joseph Tapine ($550,000)
Coach status: After three preliminary final appearances in five years, plus a trip to the grand final, Ricky Stuart can probably coach the Raiders for as long as he wants. While he’s brought the club their best run of on-field success since the glory days of the early 1990s, Stuart has also helped rebuild the Raiders image and their links to the community. By the end of next season he’ll be closing in on Tim Sheens as the club’s longest-serving coach.
What is their game plan, and how do they need to tweak: Josh Hodgson’s knee injury was supposed to end Canberra’s hopes of contending for the title but the Green Machine managed to storm all the way to the preliminary final, thanks in no small part to the emergence of Tom Starling.
Halves George Williams and Jack Wighton also blossomed after they were forced to take greater playmaking responsibility.
The question now is how does Stuart get the best out of all four players?
Hodgson is still one of the competition’s best hookers and Starling is too good not to be in the team but the younger man hasn’t played anywhere in first grade other than dummy half, which could make him an awkward option as a bench utility.
Wighton and Williams have both played with Hodgson before, but finding a way for them to mesh with the co-captain’s dominant style will be paramount. It’s an embarrassment of riches, but Stuart must find a place for all four.
How did they go in free agency: Canberra’s recruitment has been excellent in recent years and they may well have struck gold again in landing Ryan James.
The former Titan has struggled with knee injuries in recent years but was on the fringe of Origin selection not too long ago and given Canberra’s forward depth they won’t live and die on James finding his best form – in fact, he could be flat out just earning a start as he competes with the likes of Corey Horsburgh, Corey Harawira-Naera, Sia Soliola and Emre Guler to back up Origin props Papalii and Dunamis Lui and the rapidly improving Joseph Tapine.
Former Panther Caleb Aekins is a solid back-up choice to star fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad while Englishman Rushton is more of a project player – the 19-year old back-rower has only played one Super League game for Wigan before heading down under.
Will development contract upgraded kids make an impact: The Raiders’ depth in the outside backs took a hit with Nick Cotric and Michael Oldfield’s departures but in Matt Timoko they could have a ready made replacement. The young Kiwi played two NRL matches in 2020 and has impressed those in the know with his power, speed and ability to change direction.
Look for him to play a lot more first grade next season, possibly from Round 1 due to Jarrod Croker’s injury. Adam Cook, a skilful half or fullback, has also been elevated to the top squad but will likely only see significant time should injuries strike the club’s spine.
What players can they reinvent: Nothing went right for Curtis Scott in 2020. His season was hamstrung by a police charge at the beginning of the year which was eventually thrown out and he battled injury and bad form.
However, talent doesn’t vanish – Scott improved somewhat in his final appearances for the year and a fresh start could be just what the doctor ordered. With Timoko and fellow young gun Harley Smith-Shields waiting in the wings, the pressure will be on Scott to perform but the 23-year old has plenty of good football in him.
Who takes the next step: There was tremendous pressure and expectation on George Williams heading into 2020 and it’s fair to say the Wigan man surpassed them. It had been close to 30 years since an English half succeeded in the NRL but Williams’ running game, kicking and ability to direct the Raiders around the park all shone through in some of Canberra’s best wins.
He’ll only get better next season as his combination with Jack Wighton continues to grow – by the end of the year, they had struck up a fine understanding and were often seen combining in the attacking 20.
The best 17 for 2021:
1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
2 Jordan Rapana
3 Curtis Scott
4 Jarrod Croker
5 Bailey Simonsson
6 Jack Wighton
7 George Williams
8 Dunamis Lui
9 Josh Hodgson
10 Josh Papalii
11 Elliott Whitehead
12 Hudson Young
13 Joseph Tapine
14 Tom Starling
15 Sia Soliola
16 Corey Horsburgh
17 Corey Harawira-Naera
2021 squad: Caleb Aekins, Adam Cook, Jarrod Croker, Matt Frawley, Emre Guler, Corey Harawira-Naera, Siliva Havili, Josh Hodgson, Corey Horsburgh, Ryan James, Dunamis Lui, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Josh Papalii, Jordan Rapana, Harry Rushton, Curtis Scott, Bailey Simonsson, Harley Smith-Shields, Sia Soliola, Tom Starling, Ryan Sutton, Joe Tapine, Matt Timoko, Semi Valemei, Elliott Whitehead, Jack Wighton, George Williams, Sam Williams, Hudson Young
Fox Sports Lab’s Aaron Wallace says: Making it to the preliminary final with Josh Hodgson playing just nine games and John Bateman 11 shows how far the Raiders have come in a short space of time.
Their consecutive finals appearances were their first since making three straight in 2002-04 and they went within a whisker of back-to-back top-four finishes for the first time since the mid 90s.
Jack Wighton’s form earned him the Dally M Medal, and with nine tries and four try assists in eight games to finish the season, showing what a danger he poses to opposition defences.
Finish the last five years: 2nd, 10th, 10th, 4th (GF), 5th
Odds are: Premiership winners – $12, top-four finish – $2.40, top-8 finish – $1.42, most losses – $41
Originally published as Canberra Raiders 2021 NRL season preview: Matt Timoko’s rise, Jarrod Croker
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