Hudson Young has appointed himself as Ethan Sanders bodyguard, not that Canberra’s halfback needs it.
Sanders will be one of the most scrutinised players in the NRL this season when he’s expected to be given first crack at replacing Jamal Fogarty as the Raiders’ new No.7.
The 22-year-old has only played four NRL games across his time at Canberra and junior club Parramatta, but Sanders will be expected to hit the ground running as the Raiders look to build on winning last year’s minor premiership.
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Five-eighth Ethan Strange will move to the right side of the field with Sanders set to team up with the try-hungry Young on the left edge.
Young, however, warned that even for a slight halfback Sanders was no weak leak in the Green Machine’s defence.
“He’s surprisingly a solid build for half, he’s pretty lean but he’s got great technique,” Young told AAP.
“It’s up to me, I play next to him so I need to make sure I protect him.
“He’s obviously a tremendous young talent and he was recruited to the club a couple of years ago to replace Jamal.
“We need ‘Sando’ to just come in and be Ethan Sanders.
“Everyone will get to see how good ‘Sando’ is early in the season, but we can’t put too much pressure on him, he’s a young kid who is going to have ups and downs to begin his career, but us as a playing group around him, we can support him and make his job easier.”
Canberra will begin 2026 with heightened expectations after a breathtaking 2025 campaign that ended with the club’s first piece of silverware in over three decades.
But the Raiders have often struggled to back up successful seasons, having made back-to-back finals appearances only once in Ricky Stuart’s 12-year reign.
“We’ve got the right playing group there at the moment, got a great environment and great culture that’s really hungry to succeed,” Young said.
“When you’ve got that you can change the path the club has been on before in terms of that inconsistency.”
There is added motivation given this season is shaping as club legend Josh Papalii’s final hoorah in green.
“I still remember the look on Jarrod Croker’s face in 2019 and it still breaks my heart to think of a guy like that not getting a ring,” Young said.
“To do it for ‘Big Papa’ this year would be an amazing thing, he’s been a great servant and the guy you looked up to as a kid.
“To win a grand final with him would be outstanding and the right way to send him off, it’s what he deserves.”
