Canberra Raiders News

The Canberra Raiders announced their Round 1 lineup for 2026, facing the Sea Eagles.

Canberra Daily

The Canberra Raiders have named their team for Round 1 of the 2026 season, with the Green Machine set to face the Sea Eagles at 4 Pines Park on Saturday night.

Jayden Brailey is in line to become Raider #409 after being named on the interchange bench, while Tom Starling will start at hooker. Regular bench hooker from last season, Owen Pattie, has been named on the extended bench.

Simi Sasagi has been named at centre, with Matt Timoko listed on the extended bench as he continues to manage a minor foot injury sustained over the past three weeks.

Noah Martin will start in the back row, while Matty Nicholson has also been named on the extended bench after limited training following a shoulder injury in the final trial...

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Jayden Brailey debuts for Raiders, while Owen Pattie starts season in NSW Cup, surprising many fans.

The Australian

Jayden Brailey will debut for the Raiders as coach Ricky Stuart takes a long-term approach with rising star Owen Pattie.

In a round one selection shock out of the Nation's Capital, Pattie, who played every game for Canberra last season, will commence the new season in NSW Cup.

Brailey, the former Knights captain who linked with the Raiders in the off-season, will join Tom Starling as the Raiders' dummy-half combination for their opening round clash with the Sea Eagles at 4 Pines Park on Sunday.

Keep this page open for when round 1 teams drop at 4pm

In further Raiders team news, centre Matt Timoko and forward Matt Nicholson have also missed out on NRL selection.

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NRL's Daine Laurie faced a probe after being charged with cocaine possession, raising integrity concerns ahead of his Raiders debut.

The Australian

One of the NRL's hottest off-season targets is at the centre of an integrity unit probe after he was allegedly caught with a bag of cocaine on Mad Monday - but the league was never told.

Daine Laurie was charged by police after the car he was a passenger in was stopped on Memorial Ave in Penrith about 11.10am on September 29, the morning after his then-Panthers side lost a nail biting preliminary final 16-14 to the Brisbane Broncos.

When officers searched the vehicle they allegedly found a bag with 0.37g of cocaine, and charged Laurie with possessing a prohibited drug.

Laurie was set to face Penrith Local Court on November 10, but instead police dropped the charge against him that day and the matter was dismissed.

But The Daily Telegraph can reveal the NRL's integrity unit is currently looking into whether it should have been notified of Laurie being charged, with questions now surrounding what that means for him and his former club the Panthers, ahead of his potential debut for the Canberra Raiders this weekend.

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