New Zealand centre Matt Timoko has re-signed with the Canberra Raiders until the end of 2026, with an option for a further two seasons.
The 24-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise into the NRL, with 20 tries in his 64 appearances to date, capping off a superb season in 2023 with selection for New Zealand.
Timoko has been one of Canberra’s best players over the last two seasons and has started 2024 in fine form. The powerful centre is averaging 155 run metres per contest, has had 11 tackle breaks, 2 line breaks, 2 try assists and a try in four games this year.
Timoko said the decision to remain with the Raiders was an easy one and he wanted to be part of what the club was building towards.
“The big thing I can see with this club is there is a clear pathway of where they want to get to and there’s a lot of emerging talent. I really believe that this club can do a lot of special things over the next couple of years, so I’m happy to be on board, be along with the journey and help some of the younger guys coming through too,” Timoko said.
“It’s good seeing some of the young boys now coming in and not only playing a role but exceeding their roles and playing a really big part in these first couple of games.
“It’s early days at the moment but I really feel this club is going to be special this year. Not only this year but the coming years as well. It’s awesome to be part of the journey and to help guide those boys as well.”
Timoko said he’s looking to continue building his own game to become a better player and said his experiences playing representative football have helped his progress.
“[My goals this year is to] just keep improving. Keep finding little things in my game to work on, I think this year and in the pre-season I’ve worked a lot on my defence so that’s something I want to change up a bit this year,” he said.
“Just learning little things I can along the way, especially with the Maori All Stars and also the NZ Kiwis, I was picking up little things to take back to the way I train and play at club level and I think that’s helped my game massively.”
Raiders NRL Recruitment Manager Joel Carbone said the club was thrilled to have Timoko remain in green and he would continue to be a big part of the plans moving forward.
“Matt is a great example of a young player who came here for an opportunity and has gone on to develop into not only a wonderful NRL player but an international player,” Carbone said. “We’re really excited to see where Matt can take his game over the next few years, and we believe he will only continue to improve and be a big part of any success we have in the future.”
