The Penrith Panthers have seen many star names lured to the Canterbury Bulldogs in recent years, with Stephen Crichton, Matt Burton, and Viliame Kikau all making the shift to Belmore.
Despite the club’s appeal with players of the Panthers dynasty, there’s one star the club couldn’t snatch.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the Canberra Raiders have secured the services of Daine Laurie, who has agreed to join the club on a multi-year deal despite strong interest from the Bulldogs.
The versatile Panthers utility, who met with both clubs in recent weeks, opted to link up with Ricky Stuart in the nation’s capital after weighing up his options for the next stage of his career.
Laurie adds valuable depth across Canberra’s spine and backline, capable of playing fullback, wing, centre, five-eighth or halfback, and is seen as an ideal utility option to bolster the Raiders’ squad.
It also fuels the talk that young fullback Chevy Stewart could find himself leaving the nation’s capital sooner rather than later, with Laurie proving to be a valuable NRL utility as-is.
With 76 NRL games under his belt, Laurie brings proven versatility and experience to the Green Machine.
He will join Canberra for pre-season training next month, becoming the latest Panther to move on from Penrith’s star-studded roster.
Laurie’s signing continues the Raiders’ aggressive recruitment drive as they look to strengthen depth across key positions ahead of 2026, following a disappointing finals exit in September.
