Kaeo Weekes’ scorching form has been rewarded, with the Raiders fullback signing a new deal that will keep him in Canberra until the end of the 2029 season.
Weekes was already contracted until the end of 2027 but has upgraded his deal after helping the Green Machine to the top of the table.
The 23-year-old joined the club last year and split his time between halfback and fullback, but he’s made the No.1 jersey his own in 2025 with career-high numbers in running metres and tackle busts.
His try against the Storm at Magic Round was one of the best we’ve seen this year and showed off his speed, acceleration, balance and skill as he chipped Ryan Papenhuyzen and collected the ball in the wet to score.
“It’s really exciting actually, and I want to repay the faith that the club has shown in me. There will be a few good years coming ahead, and I can’t wait to be a part of it,” he said.
“When my manager told me I was like ‘oh yeah, cool’. I knew I wanted to stay here and if that means long term I’m all for it. As soon as I got that contract, I signed as quickly as I could.”
The Raiders have put their faith in youngsters who have excelled this year and will only get better in the years to come.
“I think the way I’m playing comes down to the coaches and the boys,” Weekes said.
“We had a really big pre-season coming back after missing finals. Pre-season was a really big stepping stone for us and the coaches.
“They put so much confidence into you and they prep so well during the week to help you nail your role and go out there and do a job, So I think it does come back to the coaches and the boys.
“Having Strangey (Ethan Strange), Sav (Savelio Tamale), Mokes (Matt Timoko), Xavier (Savage), Owen (Pattie); there are a lot of boys that have signed here for a long time and that was a really big selling point for me to stay. We’re going to build some really big connections and hopefully the coming years are good ones.”
Few people expected the Raiders to be contending for a title this year, but coach Ricky Stuart has found the formula to have them on track for the minor premiership and in the mix to end their title drought.
“Kaeo’s re-signing continues our plan to sign and re-sign players to look after the future of our club,” Stuart said.
“We’ve worked hard on identifying, recruiting and developing young talent and Kaeo is a great example of this.
“We knew what we were getting when we re-signed Kaeo. He’s been able to work hard on his game this year, and he’s seeing the benefits of that hard work.
“We know he’s still got more improvement in his game and I think having him here long term means we’ll see him continue to improve as a player over the coming seasons.”
