Canberra Raiders Latest

Ethan Strange exemplifies an impressive recruitment strategy, potentially inspiring a future movie release.

The Daily Telegraph

Ethan Strange is the poster boy for a recruitment strategy that we might just be watching a movie about one day.

Quite possibly, it could be released just after October 5.

Inside the Canberra Raiders boardroom of their head office at Braddon, an 18-year-old Strange, his father John and mother Adele, sat opposite the late and great recruitment officer Peter Mulholland and head coach Ricky Stuart.

It was 2022.

Mulholland and his recruitment understudy Joel Carbone had spent more than a year watching film of Strange dominate matches, almost in the same fashion that we witnessed in golden-point extra-time on Friday night against the Panthers.

The speed off the mark, the power through his hips,...

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The Raiders signed Sione Finau from the Dragons on a three-year deal, reuniting teammates.

LeagueNews.co

The Canberra Raiders have officially announced the signing of Sione Finau, a young outside back from St George Illawarra Dragons, despite head coach Ricky Stuart's frustrations over a leaked meeting with Finau last July. Finau's decision follows a tour of the Raiders' facilities, and he has signed a three-year deal that will keep him at the club until the end of 2028. This move reunites him with his former teammate and close friend, Savelio Tamale.

Finau's signing underscores the Raiders' focus on acquiring young talent and represents another loss for Shane Flanagan and the Dragons' roster. The 23-year-old joins a growing list of departing young talents, including Aaymon Fitzgibbon and Finau Latu.

Since making his NRL debut in 2024, Finau has participated in seven matches, scoring four tries. In 2025 alone, he recorded ten tackle busts, four line-breaks, and averaged 151 running metres across five appearances.

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The Penrith Panthers signed young halfback Elijah Birve, enhancing their roster of emerging talent.

LeagueNews.co

The Penrith Panthers have made a significant move by signing young playmaker Elijah Birve from a rival club's youth system, indicating a potential transition post-Nathan Cleary. The four-time reigning champions have secured the 18-year-old halfback, who hails from the Sunshine Coast Falcons-an affiliate of the Melbourne Storm.

This acquisition follows previous signings of talented playmakers Keahn Skipps from the Raiders and Haami Loza from the Knights, showcasing the Panthers' strategy of acquiring emerging talent. Birve's signing comes ahead of the Storm's upcoming establishment of their own reserve-grade team in the NSW Cup, which will result in the Falcons seeking an affiliation with a Queensland NRL team. However, the Panthers acted quickly to sign Birve on a two-year deal expiring at the end of 2027.

Having been selected for the Queensland Under-18s schoolboys team this year, Birve is anticipated to kick off the 2026 season playing for the Panthers' SG Ball Cup side (Under 19s). With Birve joining Skipps and Loza, the Panthers are keenly building a roster of promising young playmakers.

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