Re-signed Canberra Raider Hohepa Puru sets sights on NRL spot

The Canberra Raiders lock has set his sights on establishing himself in the NRL side next year, having got his foot through the door at the back-end of the 2023 campaign.

The Canberra Times revealed Puru had re-signed at the start of November, with the Raiders officially announcing it on Wednesday.

He's locked in for at least 2024, with an option for an extra season.

The 21-year-old made his NRL debut in round 27 for the Green Machine and impressed enough to keep his spot for their elimination final as well.

At 1.77 metres tall and 92 kilograms he's not the biggest lock in the competition.

But he makes up for that with his voracious work rate - averaging 133 run metres in the NSW Cup this year.

"I'm obviously not the biggest forward, but I do value my fitness," Puru said.

"I get through a mountain of work and if I'm working for my teammate next to me then they're obviously going to want to play with me.

"This year was a good year showing what I was capable of in the middle.

"The boys know that I'll work hard for them. My work ethic makes up for size that I don't have compared with other forwards."

The Raiders have plenty of depth in the middle forwards.

Corey Horsburgh will return from suspension in round three after shining in the No.13 jersey this year.

Joe Tapine, Trey Mooney and English recruit Morgan Smithies can also play lock as well.

But Puru was undaunted by the competition and had full faith in Raiders coach Ricky Stuart to pick the best man for the job.

"I do want to cement an NRL spot - whether that's starting or off the bench," he said.

"I've got my foot in the door. I've only got to take another step forward and hopefully stand on the other side of that door and earn the respect of my teammates in NRL.

"If I am in Cup then I'm going to perform the best I can to get back up there."

Puru's part of the next generation of middle forwards coming through the Raiders' ranks.

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But there's also plenty of experience for the former Penrith junior to learn off as well.

Tapine and Josh Papali'i are two of the best props in the game, and they have 471 NRL games of experience between them.

Puru's also become friends with "Big Red" Horsburgh, who made his State of Origin debut in 2023.

He planned to sponge off the trio in his bid to establish himself in the 17.

"I'm in a very fortunate position where the boys have done their time and they know what it takes to get 200 games down the track," Puru said.

"They show me the way - not just at training, but off the field you've got 'Papa' and 'Taps' who check in with me constantly.

"They check if I want to get coffee, check on my mental well-being. That goes a long way to trusting us on the field and at training.

"If they're going to look after you off the field then I come in and I feel safe around them.

"I'm really close with Big Red off the field so there's no tension between us.

"He's played a lot more games than me so I'm going to watch him and try and soak up as much as I can from him to become a better player."

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