The Canberra Raiders are moving to shore up their future by re-signing a handful of young guns.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Sebastian Kris heads a list of off-contract Raiders the club will look to lock in over the coming weeks after their crucial game against St George Illawarra at Wollongong on Saturday.
Kris, Semi Valemei, Harley Smith-Shields, Xavier Savage and Leo Thompson were among the emerging players in the Green Machine's sights.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said they would use the weekend off for game two of State of Origin to secure their talent going forward.
Kris has enjoyed a breakout 2021 NRL season, having come into the year on a train-and-trial deal.
He missed all of last season due to mental-health issues, but returned for pre-season and has been so impressive he earned a one-year contract.
The 22-year-old has played 12 games so far this season, scoring four tries, filling in mostly in the centres in the absence of co-captain Jarrod Croker.
His form's set to earn him a chance to lock in his future.
Valemei's another the Raiders were looking to begin discussions with.
He scored in the Raiders' 36-18 thrashing of the Brisbane Broncos last weekend in an impressive display that included running for 193 metres and four tackle busts - the best performance of his 13-game career.
Smith-Shields will return ahead of schedule from a biceps injury in the NSW Cup against the Dragons on Saturday.
Savage has been named as 18th man for the Raiders this weekend, having played on the wing and at fullback in the NSW Cup.
He's on a development contract, while Thompson, a middle forward, was on a training contract.
Meanwhile, the Raiders were still waiting to hear from the NRL integrity unit whether centre Curtis Scott would be punished for his alleged involvement in a bar fight.
Scott's been stood down indefinitely since The Canberra Times revealed footage of the incident at Civic nightclub Kokomo's on May 30.
Also, the Raiders have discussed former Dragons five-eighth Gareth Widdop after they were offered the former England international for the 2022 season and beyond, but were yet to make a call on whether he was the solution to their halfback problem after releasing George Williams.
Williams was set to fly back to England on Friday.
NRL ROUND 15
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons at Wollongong, 5.30pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Bailey Simonsson, 2. Semi Valemei, 3. Sebastian Kris, 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Sam Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Dunamis Lui, 11. Corey Harawira-Naera, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Ryan Sutton. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Sia Soliola, 17. Joe Tapine. Reserves: 18. Xavier Savage, 19. Hudson Young, 20. Matt Frawley, 21. Ryan James.
Dragons squad: 1. Matthew Dufty, 2. Cody Ramsey, 3. Brayden Wiliame, 4. Gerard Beale, 5. Mikaele Ravalawa, 6. Corey Norman, 7. Ben Hunt, 8. Blake Lawrie, 9. Andrew McCullough, 10. Paul Vaughan, 11. Tariq Sims, 12. Jack Bird, 13. Jackson Ford. Interchange: 14. Talatau Amone, 15. Josh Kerr, 16. Daniel Alvaro, 17. Jack de Belin. Reserves: 8. Adam Clune, 19. Poasa Faamausili, 20. Tyrell Sloan, 21. Zac Lomax.
David Polkinghorne
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
