Canberra Raiders 2020 NRL preview: Team list, burning questions
As Canberra aim to go one better than last year’s grand final appearance they’ve received a massive boost on the edge of their NRL 2020 season opener.
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Plenty of Canberra fans are still reminiscing over the incredible run to the grand final last year, but the key for the Raiders is to leave the past behind them.
They can’t forget about how it felt to come so close to a premiership only to have it ripped away — in fact, that might make them even hungrier this time around — but if they dwell on the whys and the wherefores of that night in October they’ll be trapped forever by their own memories.
Jack Wighton, the Clive Churchill Medal winner in a beaten side, knows the only way for the Raiders to move on is to look forward, not back.
“Once it was done, it was done,” Wighton told The Daily Telegraph.
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“A lot of people try to change the past and it just doesn’t work. When everything settled down, I was just grateful to have been in that situation.
“That’s the way I look at it. It’s a title you’d love to have next to your name, the way we did lose was a big one. But it’s all about this year, week by week and game by game.”
There have been great changes to Canberra’s roster for 2019, with three key players from the grand final side departing, but the greatest battle may be in their own minds as they attempt to go one better this season.
THE RAIDERS ROSTER
Who’s in: Curtis Scott (Storm), George Williams (Wigan), Tom Starling, Harley Smith-Shields (upgraded)
Who’s out: Jordan Rapana (Panasonic Wild Knights), Joey Leilua (Tigers), Aidan Sezer (Huddersfield), Brad Abbey (Tigers), Ata Hingano (Mackay Cutters), Royce Hunt (Sharks)
Analysis: Jordan Rapana and Joey Leilua were two of Canberra’s best in recent years, and replacing them is no short order. Leipana have been the most devastating centre/wing combo in rugby league for the past four years, and combined with the loss of Aidan Sezer, the Raiders will have a new look in 2020 despite the success of last year.
Off-contract: Skipper Jarrod Croker has given his side a boost on the eve of the season, signing a four-year deal that will keep him in Canberra until the end of 2024.
“I’m a Raider and I always want to be a Raider,” Croker said.
“I only ever want to play for one club in the NRL and that’s the Raiders and hopefully I can see out my career here.”
“I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to sign a new deal before the start of the season, and I know I now have to continue to work hard, play my best footy and not take this opportunity for granted.”
It means winger Nick Cotric is the remaining big gun still to be signed for 2021, but he is expected to follow Croker and Jack Wighton and recommit to the Raiders on a long-term deal. Veteran forward Sia Soliola is also off-contract and wants to play on with Canberra past his 34th birthday.
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The burning question: Can George Williams defy history?
The poor track record of English backs over the past two decades means George Williams would have been under pressure regardless of what club signed him. Considering it’s the runners-up from the year before only adds to the strain on the former Wigan man, who will start the season as Canberra’s new halfback.
Williams is a two-time premiership winner in Super League and boasts 10 caps for England, but a host of talented Poms have fallen flat once they came to the NRL – think Sam Tomkins, Zak Hardaker, Ryan Hall and Kallum Watkins.
But Williams is giving himself every chance – he’s in the prime of his career at 25, and with former Wigan teammates Ryan Sutton and John Bateman already on the scene, along with fellow Englishmen Josh Hodgson and Elliott Whitehead, the transition will be made easier.
Williams was solid in Canberra’s only trial, a 12-10 win over Canterbury, and will no doubt improve as his combination with the rest of the side improves.
“He’s quite an elite athlete in his own right,” said star fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
“I’m really looking forward to rubbing shoulders with him – he’s got a good short-kicking game, he’s a good runner and a good defender. We just need to gel together as a team.”
It’s a big year for: Curtis Scott
The Raiders have bet big on Scott. The former Melbourne centre’s signature was always going to force Leilua out sooner rather than later, and replacing the two-time Dally M centre of the year won’t be easy, even accounting for Scott’s considerable talent. Leilua was only a bit-part player for the Raiders in 2019, but he offered a creative edge the team sorely needed against the best defensive sides in the competition and offered qualities Scott has yet to showcase in his first grade career.
Counted as a possible future Origin player, Scott only managed nine matches last year as he battled a variety of injuries, and his time with the Raiders got off to a rough start after he was hit with a variety of police charges following an incident on the Australia Day weekend.
Canberra’s recruitment record in recent years has been close to impeccable, and Scott’s best football should be in front of him given he’s just 22.
Representative football can still be in his future, and his ability is undeniable. But Cooper Cronk aside, when was the last time a player left Melbourne and was better for it?
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CNK can still go all the way
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad took to fullback, and to first grade, so well last year it was easy to forget his inexperience at the top level.
The 24-year old announced himself as one of the best fullbacks in the league, but he still has just 33 NRL games to his credit, and given how late in the pre-season he joined the Raiders he’s only now completed his first off-season as a specialist custodian.
“I was really stoked coming into pre-season. I was able to work on my craft, and get a full pre-season in as a fullback for the first time,” Nicoll-Klokstad told The Daily Telegraph.
“I’m looking forward to building on what we’ve created here.
“You don’t have to look far to see who’s at the pinnacle of my position in the game, right off the bat there’s James Tedesco, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Clint Gutherson, all those boys.
“For myself, I want to be around the ball a bit more, Clint Gutherson and James Tedesco come to mind as guys who read the ruck better.
“They’re always around the ball, as soon as there’s a break they’re always there. Taking a page out of their book, and being able to ball-play.”
Despite his incredible rise in 2019, Nicoll-Klokstad isn’t taking anything for granted – the memory of his time at the Warriors, when he played seven matches in 2017 but never graced first grade again, still looms large in his mind.
“I’ve been in a position where I’ve taken an opportunity, and I thought it took it with both hands but I didn’t.
“I played seven games in my debut year, got knocked back the next year and didn’t play a first grade game all year. But it still doesn’t feel like I’ve cemented my spot in this squad.
“It’s still surreal for me. There’s so many things I want to work on, I’m still new to playing fullback in the NRL. I want to keep adding to my craft.
“You can’t be complacent in this job, because as fast as you get things, as fast it gets taken away.”
Pre-season hero: Bailey Simonsson
Simonsson was one of many success stories at Canberra in 2019. The former All Blacks sevens player started the year on a train and trial deal and ended it as a regular in Canberra’s best 17.
The 22-year old improved with each game he played last year, and will start 2020 on the right wing outside of skipper Jarrod Croker.
Simonsson has once again impressed those in the know at Canberra with his work ethic and professionalism.
If he can lift his work rate slightly and continue to improve, he could be one of the NRL’s rising stars for this season.
The best player you’ve never heard of: Harley Smith-Shields
A Gungahlin junior, Smith-Shields was Canberra’s Jersey Flegg player of the year in 2019, scoring 15 tries in 17 matches and averaging 173 run metres per game.
The robust young centre was rewarded with elevation to the club’s top 30 squad for this season.
Smith-Shields will start the season in NSW Cup with Mounties, but should injuries strike the Canberra backline don’t be surprised if he earns a first grade debut sooner rather than later.
Stats that matter: The Raiders conceded the third-least points in the competition last year, and won six games while scoring 20 points or less. They were awarded the most penalties of any team in the league – but also conceded the most.