The role of the utility is under the spotlight this year thanks to the NRL’s new interchange rules, and the Raiders have one of the best in the business after Daine Laurie starred in his first game since coming across from Penrith.
Tyran Wishart and Connor Watson may be the cream of the crop, but Laurie was doing spooky things on Friday the 13th to help Canberra to a 32-6 victory over the Storm in Queanbeyan.
For a guy who usually plies his trade at fullback or on the wing, Laurie looked the goods at halfback with a try assist and a hand in Canberra’s other first-half try as he showed coach Ricky Stuart that he needs to be on the bench in round one.
He’s got the experience and versatility to end 2026 as one of the more astute signings of the season, with Stuart and the other 16 coaches needing to work out how they handle the bigger benches that have gone from four to six players.
Laurie showed his class at fullback in the second half to create space for Seb Kris who produced a wonderful flick pass for their fourth try of the evening, before Kris scored one of his own to cap a dominant win.
Melbourne’s only try of the night came in the final 10 minutes while Mark Tuialii was in the sin bin for a high shot.
COMBINATIONS
SuperCoach players across the country would have had one eye on Melbourne’s Ativalu Lisati as he firms to replace Eli Katoa in the back row.
Owen Pattie is going to be an interesting watch for the Green Machine. He is going to be a freak but will have to bide his time behind Tom Starling, with the dummy-half getting a bit excited at times on Friday with a few pushed passes.
RECRUIT WATCH
Jack Hetherington looms as one of Melbourne’s most important off-season gets as the veteran forward looks to realise his potential down south.
The firebrand has bounced around the NRL but could be important for the Storm who need an enforcer with Nelson Asofa-Solomona no longer playing rugby league.
Hetherington played big minutes in the middle where he did a bit of ball-playing, while he can also play on an edge if required.
ROOKIE WATCH
Hugo Peel is a name we’ve been hearing out of Melbourne all off-season, and it’s easy to see why he’s putting pressure on Sua Fa’alogo for the fullback jersey.
Craig Bellamy confirmed on Thursday that the Samoan speedster will get first crack in the role vacated by Ryan Papenhuyzen, but Peel is breathing down his neck and will surely feature in first grade at some stage this year.
The 2025 Jersey Flegg star looked likely every time he touched the ball, as did dynamic dummy-half Gabriel Satrick who was a running threat.
For Canberra, 194cm giant Vena Patuki-Case looks like a star on the rise with the middle forward in the best spot to take his game to new heights where he can learn from Joseph Tapine and Josh Papalii.
Jalen Afamasaga had some eye-catching moments with a slashing solo try and a cracking long ball to set up another.
HOT TAKE
These teams finished first and second last year, but there’s a bit of doom and gloom about their premiership chances in 2026.
Both the Raiders and the Storm will definitely play in the finals, with every chance that they could face off in a classic that rivals their epic Magic Round encounter.
FINAL SAY
The depth of talent at Canberra is something their fans must be excited by, with the youngsters proving they’ve got guys in every position ready to come in and do a job.
For Melbourne, let’s just see what happens when the big three of Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant run out in round one.
