Winning a Grand Final would be “pretty special” so early in his career, says gun Canberra Raiders fullback Kaeo Weekes.
“It would be pretty cool. You come to training and you see all the banners and things and all the history the club’s been through,” he told CD.
“And especially having Stick (Ricky Stuart) here, you always talk about being the next.
“You can see how much it means to him and how much it can change your life, so to get to a Grand Final and then to win one, would be pretty special.”
Weekes, 23, began his NRL career with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, making his debut in July 2022 before joining Canberra in 2024.
Weekes was a standout in his first season with the Green Machine, playing 17 games and starting in the halves before a late-season switch to fullback saw him shine and earn the 2024 Coach’s Award.
In his NRL career, which just hit 50 games, Weekes has scored 17 tries, eight of them (plus two goals) across 21 appearances in the 2025 season alone.
One of those tries was during the Raiders’ Magic Round win against Melbourne Storm in May, which sent the match to golden point.
On top of that, the Raiders re-signed the rising star earlier this year on an extended deal, which will see him remain with the club until the end of the 2029 season.
Weekes told CD the consistency of the team is what has changed since the 2024 season.
“I think just the consistency the boys are playing with at the moment. I think it’s making footy very enjoyable,” he said.
“And personally, I think it’s sort of been a bit of a learning journey for me.
“Our coaches are doing a fantastic job with what we need to do each week and every week we’re trying to get better; I think we’re doing that.
“So yeah, it’s been a good year so far.”
Weekes recently celebrated his 50th NRL appearance milestone alongside second rower Zac Hosking.
Unfortunately, Weekes’ family could not stay in Canberra to celebrate with him as they had to travel to Sydney to watch his younger sister, Grace-Lee Weekes, play for the Cronulla Sharks in the NRLW the following day.
“You sort of play a few games and then you think, ‘Oh, how long will it take to get to 50?’” Weekes said.
“And I didn’t realise that was my 50th until a couple of weeks ago when my cousin and my family started talking about it. So yeah, it was pretty cool.”
“And then Hosko, I thought would have probably had a little bit more games under his belt, just how experienced he his, and his footy IQ is so high.
“So, for him to reach 50 games is a big testament to him, especially after the year he had last year and in pre-season (with injuries).”
Weekes said getting the win against Manly (28-12) at home on Friday 8 August made it even better.
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