NRL 2021: Tough conversations coming for senior Canberra stars as interest grows in Parramatta young gun Dylan Brown
Speculation about the futures of Josh Hodgson and Jarrod Croker just won’t go away as the Canberra Raiders prepare to make a play for a Parra young gun, writes Paul Crawley.
Teams
Don't miss out on the headlines from Teams. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A huge player clean out is about to get underway at the Canberra Raiders with some tough conversations coming for some of the club’s biggest names.
Speculation about the futures of veteran hooker Josh Hodgson and co-captain Jarrod Croker just won’t go away, despite both being contracted for next season.
On top of that Dunamis Lui, Sia Soliola, Siliva Havili and Caleb Atkins are all off contract, while Ryan James has a year to run on his current deal but has been linked to a move to the Brisbane Broncos.
Havili has signed with South Sydney.
The race to the 2021 NRL Telstra Finals Series is on and every game matters. Watch Live & Ad-Break Free on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free >
Meanwhile, it can also be revealed the Raiders have wasted no time commencing a search for a new halfback in the wake of Thursday night’s embarrassing loss to the injury-ravaged Sydney Roosters.
And Parramatta’s Dylan Brown remains the player at the top of the Raiders’ wish list as a potential halves partner for Jack Wighton, if not for next year than 2023 and beyond.
While interest in Brown has been previously speculated, it has only intensified in the aftermath of the humiliating way Ricky Stuart’s team crashed out of the finals race.
Having lost homesick Englishman George Williams during the season, the Raiders are desperate to sign a playmaker to take control next season.
It’s fair to say every available option will be looked at seriously in the coming weeks, and that also includes names such as Mitchell Pearce, Luke Brooks and Ash Taylor.
As it stands Brown is contracted for next season and also has an option in his favour for 2023 to stay at Parra.
But that won’t stop the 21-year-old at least talking with rivals from November 1 in respect to his long-term future.
Make no mistake the Raiders will be ready and waiting to make their intentions clear.
Pearce and Brooks also have time to run on their existing deals at Newcastle and Wests Tigers, but take it as fact their names are still being discussed as potential targets.
Canberra also has young half Brad Schneider who the club has high hopes for.
But Schneider’s development has been limited because of the lack of recent football the 20-year-old has played directly due to the Covid situation.
Sam Williams is also signed for one more year but his role going forward is as a back-up.
The question the Raiders are asking themselves internally right now is whether they can hold off for another season without a marquee man to wear the No 7.
This is where Hodgson’s future becomes interesting in respect to Brown being that option for 2023.
While Hodgson is contracted for next season on a reported $800,000, it’s no secret the 31-year-old is searching for a new multi-year deal.
But that is unlikely to be at Canberra where Tom Starling is already seen as the future.
There’s every chance Hodgson will be staying at the Raiders for next season, but moving into 2023 his salary could be used to top up any potential offer to a playmaker.
Co-captain Croker also has two more years to run on his contract with a further player option for 2024.
There is no question the 30-year-old has huge respect at the club and there’s not a chance he will be pushed out.
But there is also no denying Croker was struggling to hold his spot before his most recent injury and he will be under increasing pressure next season from young guns Matthew Timoko, Sebastian Kris and Albert Hopoate.
The Roosters have an ace up their sleeve
Trent Robinson says rookie halfback Sam Walker will have a “big impact” in the finals after he received a second freshen up in the space of three weeks as the club’s other halves stole the show in the 40-16 win over Canberra.
Walker has been a revelation with 21 try assists since he made his NRL debut back in Round 4, but he played just six minutes on Thursday after he was brought on late in the blowout win.
It’s the second time Robinson has used the tactic after Walker also came off the bench in the Round 23 win over the Dragons in which he scored a try and set another one up.
Drew Hutchison and Lachlan Lam started in the halves against Canberra and were both terrific, but Walker is the trump card who can win the Roosters a finals game with three classy touches.
“He’s going to have a big impact,” Robinson said.
“Just the way the game went tonight, I thought Lachie was doing a really good job there. There are different ways that I can use Lachie as well, so it’s a bit of a wait and see to see how I use Sammy.
“But Sammy is going to play a part, that’s for sure. Fullback as well …”
Hutchison has flown under the radar this year but has been quietly brilliant as cover for the injured Luke Keary.
He set up three tries on Thursday and ran the ball strongly every time the Roosters got close to the line.
“I love the guys that play the balance between passing the ball but also knowing the picture in front of them and running the ball like that,” his coach said.
“It was a really class performance from them, and they deserved it,”
The result moves the Roosters up into the top four for now, but that will change if the Sea Eagles or Eels win this weekend.
It’s still an amazing result for a club that has the bulk of their salary cap in the casualty ward and was written off after last week’s thumping at the hands of the Rabbitohs.
“I’m really proud of the regular season,” Robinson said.
“We’ve put ourselves back into fourth position and that applies pressure to the other teams if they want to jump above us.
“This season, to be in the position that we are, I’m really proud of the way that the guys are playing. But a new competition starts (next week) and you have to be ready to go because you don’t ease your way into finals.
“You always want to finish first, but the longer the season has gone, the cards that have been dealt have been different, so I’m really proud of the way that we’ve played.
“But you don’t ever settle. If you’re in the fight then you want to keep going. This is where it really counts.”
RICKY: MID-SEASON FADE COST RAIDERS
A win would have moved the Raiders into eighth spot, but as they’ve done so often this year, they crumbled when the blowtorch was applied and showed little effort or enthusiasm against a team that had almost nothing to play for.
“It’s an empty feeling. It’s a shocking feeling because I think we’re a better team than where we’ve ended up on the table,” Ricky Stuart said.
“If we can’t beat that team out there tonight then we’re only wasting another week being up here.”
A finals berth would have masked what has been a very poor season for Canberra. At least the reviews can begin as they try to work out what went so wrong in 2021.
Not a lot went right on Thursday after they started well but fell away sharply in a shocking first half that didn’t get any better.
The Raiders led 12-6 after 20 minutes but headed into the sheds down by eight points on the back of six errors and five penalties in the first half.
Winger Semi Valemei, who was a late inclusion for Seb Kris, had a horror night with his hands and had to be shifted to the left edge after he was taught a rugby league lesson by veteran Daniel Tupou.
“Poor old Semi had a tough night, but he’s a better player than that,” Stuart said.
“I’d pick him again in first grade next week.”
Valemei looked clueless under the high ball, with one of his four errors leading directly to an Adam Keighran try, but he wasn’t the only misfiring Raider.
Skipper Elliott Whitehead opened the scoring but then wasted a challenge late in the first half and followed it up with an expletive-laden tirade towards referee Gerard Sutton who had his own run-in with the Bunker over a contentious Roosters challenge.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was placed on report and conceded a potential eight-point try for collecting Matt Ikuvalu with his hip, while Jordan Rapana was also cautioned for a shoulder charge.
Jack Wighton was virtually unsighted again and they need to recruit a high-profile halfback if they want to avoid another year of mediocrity.
“I can’t blame our defence. Our attack was dreadful,” Stuart said.
“We didn’t give ourselves a chance to attack because we took the wrong options with the football.”
COACH OF THE YEAR
It’s going to be hard to beat a man who led his side to 19-straight wins, but no-one would complain if Trent Robinson was named coach of the year.
The Roosters could buy two Bondi apartments with the salary cap they have on the sidelines, yet they are in fourth spot and will earn the double chance in week one of the finals if Parramatta and Manly both lose this weekend.
It’s an incredible achievement that was made harder on Thursday when inspirational prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was ruled out late. But fellow front-rower Siosiua Taukeiaho stepped up with 180 metres, while skipper James Tedesco was at his mercurial best with ball in hand.
“I really enjoyed watching them play,” Robinson said after he became the first Roosters coach to record 150 wins.
“Our senior boys have been really good for a long time, but it’s nice to get guys out there playing more minutes than normal.”
MIRACLE WORKER
Robinson has been trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle all year without the corner pieces, but he’s somehow found a way to make it work as the Roosters ended Canberra’s season a year after the Green Machine knocked them out of the finals.
Drew Hutchison has been outstanding in the halves in place of the injured Luke Keary, while makeshift centre Adam Keighran was brilliant as he picked up a hat-trick in the final round for the second year in a row.
Perhaps the most fitting play came when Hutchison broke through and then offloaded to set up Ben Marschke – a player who struggled to make reserve grade earlier in the season but is now in the NRL.
“It was a really class performance from them, and they deserved it,” Robinson said of Hutchison and halves partner Lachlan Lam.
“They’ve been working really hard to improve their games. It’s a great end to the regular season.”
More Coverage
Originally published as NRL 2021: Tough conversations coming for senior Canberra stars as interest grows in Parramatta young gun Dylan Brown
Stars snubbed in wild Kangaroos bombshell
Mal Meninga has dropped bombs on three of the biggest stars in the game as the Kangaroos coach announced his squad.
NRL fans crash Brockmann run, told off
After fans finished up at Accor Stadium, some ventured next door to pay Nedd Brockmann a visit, with one fan being told to quiet down.