Canberra Raiders News

Canberra coach Ricky Stuart brought in a comedian to boost morale, leading to a thrilling opening win against Manly.

The Australian

Canberra coach Ricky Stuart took the extraordinary step of bringing a comedian into the Raiders camp during the off season in a bid to lighten the mood following the side's straight sets finals exit in 2025.

Stuart and his men are still laughing now. Just. For that they can thank Ethan Sanders and his golden point field goal.

The Raiders took the first step towards erasing the demons of last year with a thrilling 29-28 opening round win over Manly at 4 Pines Park.

The win was built on the resilience and self belief that won them the minor premiership -they had to come back from 14-0 down early in the game and then survive a stunning Manly fightback in the dying stages that saw the match go to extra time.

Unheralded backrower Noah Martin and electric winger Xavier Savage led Canberra's comeback before Sanders iced the biggest moment of his five-game NRL career to go with a try and four goals.

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In a brutal showdown, Canberra Raiders trailed 30-0 at halftime against Manly, plagued by penalties and errors, ultimately losing 40-12 despite a second-half effort.

The Canberra Times

It's the real Battle of Brookvale.

Canberra Raiders fans were left with a sour taste in their mouth after an opening 40 minutes where they felt their team never had a chance last year.

Seven penalties, five six-agains, six errors and a sin bin had the Green Machine running on empty by the break - and trailing Manly 30-0.

It was a vicious cycle - faced with an ever-growing weight of Manly possession, the Raiders started to make errors and the tries grew like a tidal wave.

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Morgan Smithies aims for redemption with Canberra after last season's disappointments, motivated by a desire to excel in both club and international play.

The Canberra Times

Desperate to get back to winning ways, Morgan Smithies declares he has a fire in his belly after last year's season of promise failed to live up to expectations. 

Canberra enter their round-one clash against Manly out to avenge the disappointment of their last campaign where they finished minor premiers for the first time since 1990, only to suffer finals losses to Brisbane and Cronulla.

It put paid to winning a first premiership in 31 years. 

To make matters worse, Smithies returned to the England national squad only to get thumped 3-0 in front of home fans by Australia in the Ashes series. 

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