Kangaroos Watch: Young gun set to miss out on Ashes selection despite breakout season
Ethan Strange likely misses 2025 Ashes selection due to competition from established players.
After being considered a bolter for the 2025 Ashes Series against England, Canberra Raiders youngster Ethan Strange is set to miss out on being selected in Australia's 22-man squad.
Only in the third season of his NRL career, Strange has had a remarkable 12 months, which has seen him slowly transform into a star for the Raiders and helped propel them to the Minor Premiership after forming a formidable partnership in the halves with Jamal Fogarty.
However, while coach Kevin Walters confirmed that he was a chance to make the squad, he is now set to miss out on attending the 2025 Ashes Series, per Brent Read on Triple M Breakfast with Beau, Cat and Woodsy.
The rumoured decision comes as Cameron Munster, Mitchell Moses, Nathan Cleary and Tom Dearden remain ahead of him in the pecking order, with at least three being selected in the 22-man squad.
'I want to give it a crack': Could we see this former Raider back in the NRL?
Sam Williams has signed to coach Northern Pride in Queensland Cup, pursuing professional ambitions.
He has become a sideline eye at Canberra Stadium, but now Sam Williams could be on a path back to the NRL with the former Canberra Raiders playmaker revealing his desire to "put myself in a professional environment again".
Now he is one step closer, this time as a coach, having signed a two-year deal to coach the Queensland Cup's Northern Pride after a successful three-season stint at the helm of the Queanbeyan Kangaroos.
Williams claimed the Les McIntyre Medal in 2023 and guided the Kangaroos to two Canberra Raiders Cup premierships from three grand final appearances. Now he is taking on a new challenge in the Queensland Cup - and part of him would relish the opportunity to eventually...
Raiders signing tracker: Prop opens talks, Canberra closes in on fullback and pull out of halfback race
The Raiders are negotiating a contract extension for Ata Mariota and signing a Penrith utility.
The Canberra Raiders have opened contract talks with a boom young prop, are on the verge of signing a Penrith utility and have withdrawn their interest in a Melbourne halfback.
They've begun discussions with Ata Mariota, whose recent change of player manager held up the process getting under way, and were looking to extend the 23-year-old for a further three seasons.
He's currently signed on until the end of the 2026 NRL season, but the Green Machine want to lock him in long term and potentially extend that until 2029.
