Raiders coach Ricky Stuart needs to settle on a replacement for departing playmaker Jamal Fogarty, who has joined Manly after four seasons and 77 games with the Green Machine.
Stuart said Sanders, who played two games for Canberra this year after joining from Parramatta, was ready to stake his claim to partner Kangaroo Ethan Strange at the scrum-base in 2026.
“Ethan Sanders is going to get first crack, given he has a good off-season,” Stuart said.
“He’s done his apprenticeship under Jamal over the last 12 months.
“And unlike a lot of young blokes who don’t want to do the apprenticeship and want to go straight into first grade, Ethan’s actually bided his time and shown real professionalism towards his future in the game.
“I respect that he’s taken the courageous line and accepted that you have to fight for a position.
“He’s a young half and still learning, but he’s earned his chance, given he has a good off-season and stays healthy.”
Sanders should feel right at home in a Canberra squad that includes a core group of his former NSW under-19 teammates.
In 2023 he represented the junior Blues alongside Strange, Savelio Tamale, Chevy Stewart, Jake Clydsdale and Myles Martin, then helped Parramatta win the SG Ball (under-19) grand final that season, before playing two top-grade games for the Eels in 2024.
In 41 NSW Cup appearances for the Eels and Canberra, the 21-year-old has scored 17 tries, delivered 30 try assists and gained an average of 170.7 metres per game with his general-play kicking.
He has also landed 51 goals, which could be a welcome asset as Stuart looks to replace the 192 points Fogarty contributed last season.
While the Raiders are confident Sanders will fit snugly into the No.7 jersey, Stuart would appear to have several viable alternatives.
Versatile Daine Laurie has joined Canberra from Penrith, and he has played every backline position during his 76-game NRL career.
Dynamic fullback Kaeo Weekes could also slot into the halves, which would allow Stuart to promote Chevy Stewart as his last line of defence.
Canberra’s pre-season preparation kicks off next week, and Stuart said they have moved on after the shattering end to 2025, when they bowed out of the finals with losses to Brisbane and Cronulla.
“We’ve got to just keep building on that now, and I know these boys will do that,” Stuart said.
“They’re just a good bunch of blokes to coach. They really are.
“They set high standards and it makes my job easy.”
Stuart broadened his horizons during the off-season with a fact-finding mission to Europe, during which he and other key staff visited English Premier League soccer clubs Arsenal and Chelsea, the Irish Rugby Union and Formula One motor-racing outfit McLaren.
“They really gave us a lot of time,” Stuart said. “They were very, very good to us.
“We toured their facilities and spoke to a lot of high-performance coaches and academy coaches. It was really interesting to hear their philosophies and their thoughts on where their sport is going.
“We don’t do those sort of trips every year, but this one was timely and very worthwhile. We look for an outcome first, then chase what we’re after.”
