The Raiders will have to live with the dreaded ‘chokers’ tag throughout the summer after becoming the first minor premiers in over a decade to exit the finals in straight sets.
But is the tag fair? Not by a long shot – remember back at the start of the season, the Raiders were tipped to be wooden spooners by the majority of media and critics.
The fact that Ricky Stuart got them to the minor premiership ranks as one of the great feats of modern coaching, and is a testament to the spirit and character within the club.
Canberra lacked the superstars of many of the glamour clubs in the game, but kept punching above their weight and while the season ended in disappointment, it was a year of massive over-achievement.
A heartbreaking golden point loss to the Broncos in the first week of the finals proved the Raiders’ undoing in one of the most remarkable finals games ever played.
Three times Canberra players and fans jumped for joy, thinking they had won the game and the battle was over – only to be cruelly denied.
The Raiders never recovered from that mental and physical setback, bowing out the following weekend to the consistent Sharks.
But the club can look back on the season with massive pride.
From the ambush of the Warriors in Vegas way back in round one, they more than matched some of the best clubs in the league.
The smarties kept waiting for them to fall, but the Raiders kept winning and winning until that fateful afternoon where luck cruelly deserted them against the Broncos.
A charmed run with injuries certainly helped – remarkably 16 players turned out in 20 or more games so the team had a real stability week to week.
At fullback, young Kaeo Weekes was superb, putting himself right up there alongside the likes of Reece Walsh and James Tedesco with his speed and running game.
On the wings, Xavier Savage and rookie of the year Sav Tamale made the most of the chances the men inside them created, bagging 19 tries between them.
Centres Seb Kris and Matt Timoko were also dangerous, amazingly also racking up a combined tally of 19 tries.
Five-eighth Ethan Strange was among the best players in the entire NRL, showing great maturity for a 21-year-old in one of the key positions on the field and topping the tryscoring list with 14 from 24 games.
Half Jamal Fogarty enjoyed his best year in the NRL and failed to let a move to Manly for 2026 distract him from his job of steering the Raiders around the field and kicking the opposition into submission.
The forwards revelled in taking on bigger name packs and pounding them, with Hudson Young, Corey Horsburgh and Joe Tapine outstanding and Josh Papalii, new boy Matty Nicholson and Morgan Smithies all playing their parts.
Hooker Tom Starling earned himself a new deal with an outstanding campaign and his sidekick, 21-year-old Owen Pattie, will develop into a special talent for the club in years to come.
The Raiders’ immediate job is to find a replacement for Fogarty over the summer, with youngster Ethan Sanders likely to get first crack in the key No.7 jumper.
Best player: With the added responsibility of taking over the captaincy, Tapine led from the front and was among the elite front-rowers in the league.
Biggest disappointment: Not a single member of the Raiders’ top squad was below par in 2025, such was the extent of the team’s rise to the top.
Key signing: Brailey is a talented dummy half but faces a tough job breaking up the one-two punch of existing hookers Starling and Pattie.
2026 gains: Jayden Brailey (Knights), Sione Finau (Dragons)
2026 losses: Jamal Fogarty (Sea Eagles), Pasami Saulo (Knights), Trey Mooney (Knights)
