The Canberra Raiders have bolstered their hooker stocks with the signing of former New Zealand under 16 representative Stanley Iongi.

Wide World of Sports are reporting that Canberra approached Iongi last week with his Queensland Cup side, the Brisbane Tigers then granting him a release to take up the NRL opportunity.

Raiders fans can get excited if Iogni’s manager Dixon McIvor’s praise is anything to go by after he compared him to another Kiwi hooker that’s taken the NRL by storm.

“He is a real goer in the Brandon Smith mould – Canberra have got themselves a great kid,” McIver told Wide World of Sports.

The 19-year-old will initially suit up for the Raiders in the SG Ball competition to start the year with Tom Starling and Josh Hodgson the club’s top two hookers.

Despite some off-field issues, Starling seems the likely long term hooker at the Raiders while 32-year-old Hodgson will leave the club to join Parramatta next season.

The Raiders struggled to find the right mix at hooker last year with Hodgson and Starling both starting and coming off the bench at different times of the season.

They showed glimpses of working well on field together with Hodgson playing as a mobile lock and Starling at hooker, but it remains to be seen how Ricky Stuart will use the pair in 2022.

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