Desperate Canberra Raiders planning roster ‘clean out’

Canberra is reportedly turning towards a radical roster overhaul with senior players facing taps on the shoulder in coming weeks.

The ball is in Jack Wighton’s court. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

Canberra is reportedly planning to clean out its roster after a disastrous start to its 2023 campaign.

With just one win from the opening five rounds, the heat has been on Ricky Stuart, despite the club recently extending his contract through to the end of 2025.

It has left a top squad overhaul as the club’s only real option to turn around its fortunes.

The Raiders are reported to have some promising talent in their junior grades coming through and are now preparing to cut loose senior players.

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Channel 9’s Danny Weidler first reported the Raiders are fighting a battle on two fronts with star five-eighth Jack Wighton also considering moving on from the club.

At the same time, the Raiders are now preparing to tap a number of players on the shoulder.

Weidler has told Sky Sports Radio veteran Jarrod Croker, who is still contracted through to the end of 2024 and is a cult hero at the club, and off-contract winger Jordan Rapana are among the group that are expected to be moved on.

Jordan Rapana faces an uncertain future. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images.

The club has more than 10 players still off contract for 2024 and Weidler reports players who are already contracted for 2024 could still be told they’re free to leave.

“I’m hearing there’s a bit of talk of a clean out happening in Canberra in the playing ranks,” he said.

“Some of the older players, they’re definitely reconsidering their positions at the club. Jordan Rapana is off contract and it’s going to be very interesting to see if he gets another deal. “There’s a couple other players who are on contracts and are not that young anymore who I think they’re going to look at. The only issue is I don’t know where they get players because there’s not that many good ones available.”

Weidler told Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday night: “Obviously you’re going to see Jarrod Croker (depart the club), he knows that he’s not going to be there next year and he’s been a fantastic servant for that club, so he’ll be one.

“I think they’re going to try to overhaul their roster as best they can, the problem obviously is trying to get talent from anywhere.”

The Raiders have famously struggled to attract top end talent on the open market and missed out on star forward David Fifita earlier this year despite making a huge play to lure him to the nation’s capital.

It’s why Wighton’s potential departure would be a hammer blow.

The 30-year-old dropped a bombshell on the Raiders, hitting the open market for the first time in his 12-year career.

The ball is in Jack Wighton’s court. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

It was reported last month rival clubs would likely have to may more than $1 million per-season to tempt Wighton away from Canberra.

It comes after Bulldogs football kingpin Phil Gould said recently Wighton was interested in moving to Queensland, which would put the Dolphins in the box seat with their salary cap space available.

Weidler said the Raiders have concerns about Wighton being tempted by big money offers from the Dolphins, Warriors and Bulldogs.

Gould has denied the club is interested in signing Wighton.

“Some of the word out of the Dolphins is they potentially see Jack Wighton as a centre at around $800k,” Weidler said.

“I don’t think that’s going to work for Jack. That’s a pay cut.”

The bigger issue is how the club overhauls its roster.

“The Raiders do have concerns and privately, or even publicly, they admit they have to re-look at their playing ranks and start to make some changes,” Weidler said.

“It is so hard for them to attract players. That’s the issue.”

Wighton has played 10 games for NSW and seven Tests for the Kangaroos and one club is reportedly willing to offer a mammoth $1.3 million yearly salary.

Originally published as Desperate Canberra Raiders planning roster ‘clean out’