Ricky Stuart has lavished praise on his rag-tag bunch of Canberra misfits after the Raiders dismantled Newcastle to kick off their 2024 NRL season with an upset win.
Written off as no hopes for the top eight following Jack Wighton’s exit to South Sydney, Canberra sealed a 28-12 away win against the Knights to start their campaign on Thursday.
Stuart has been unable to add a player equal to Wighton’s calibre over the summer but that hasn’t stopped the Raiders making some changes to his roster that, at first glance, looked to have paid off.
The Canberra coach handed Wighton’s old No. 6 jersey to 19-year-old prodigy Ethan Strange who was solid if unspectacular in just his second NRL game.
“The younger players have really added some rejuvenated life and energy,” Stuart said.
“It’s only going to get better (for Strange), win or lose tonight you can see we’ve got something to work with.”
Back-rower Zac Hosking was a standout against the Knights, while English import Morgan Smithies impressed with his ability to play tough and pretty in his first match in the NRL.
The acquisition of Hosking was particularly satisfying for Stuart, who was left with a sour taste in his mouth when the forward snubbed the Raiders to join Penrith 12 months earlier
“People have been asking me about our new boys and they can all play footy,” Stuart said.
“Morgan Smithies is a very good footy player and he’s a tough kid.
“We chased (Hosking) before he went to Penrith and to be honest, I wasn’t interested in him after he said no the first time.
“When I found out about his character and what kind of bloke he is… I had to eat my hat and ask him to come back down again, he fits our culture and he’ll have a big hold on how we play.”
Canberra are sweating on the availability of edge forward Hudson Young and prop Emre Guler come Friday morning’s match review committee charge sheet with both potentially facing suspension.
But the Green Machine are expected to welcome Seb Kris from suspension for their round two meeting with Wests Tigers.
