NRL Supercoach 2026: Canberra Raiders squad analysis


<p>The Canberra Raiders come into the 2026 season off the back of an emphatic minor premiership campaign… followed with a straight set finals exit.</p>



<p>Despite the premature exit, the club will be brimming with confidence heading into the new season.</p>



<p>Working against them though will be the fact that rivals will be ready for what’s to come, rather than last year’s ambush after starting as wooden spoon favourites.</p>



<p>Their roster has remained extremely stable with depth bolstered across the squad.</p>



<p>The one major change will be in the halfback spot vacated by Jamal Fogarty.</p>



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<p>Ethan Sanders will get his chance to shine after waiting patiently in the wings, while promising rookie recruit Coby Black will be ready to pounce should an opportunity arise.</p>



<p>The future looks extremely bright for the Green Machine, but the weight of newfound expectation can weigh heavy on any club.</p>



<p>Whether they’re boom or bust, they’ll again prove a fascinating watch.</p>



<p>Let’s take a look at their NRL Supercoach prospects for the 2026 season.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Predicted Round 1 starting team </strong></h2>



<p>1. Kaeo Weekes</p>



<p>2. Savelio Tamale</p>



<p>3. Matt Timoko</p>



<p>4. Seb Kris</p>



<p>5. Xavier Savage</p>



<p>6. Ethan Strange</p>



<p>7. Ethan Sanders</p>



<p>8. Josh Papalii</p>



<p>9. Tom Starling</p>



<p>10. Joe Tapine</p>



<p>11. Hudson Young</p>



<p>12. Zac Hosking</p>



<p>13. Corey Horsburgh</p>



<p>14. Owen Pattie</p>



<p>15. Simi Sasagi</p>



<p>16. Ata Mariota</p>



<p>17. Matty Nicholson</p>



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<p><strong>Analysis: </strong>The Raiders starting side will pick itself for the most part, barring any standout pre-season performances.</p>



<p>Xavier Savage should start on the wing, but will face competition from recruit Sione Fainu and Jed Stuart.</p>



<p>Ethan Sanders is expected to get the first crack at Jamal Fogarty’s jersey ahead of highly touted rookie Coby Black who was signed from the Broncos.</p>



<p>Zac Hosking and Matty Nicholson will battle out the pre-season for a starting edge role, with the loser to play off the bench.</p>



<p>Tom Starling and Owen Pattie are expected to again share hooking duties despite the arrival of Jayden Brailey from the Knights.</p>



<p>Expect Pattie to play greater minutes this season after being eased in last year.</p>



<p>The big bench battle will be fought between Ata Mariota and Morgan Smithies, and there’s very little between the pair.</p>



<p>Smithies appears a favourite of Ricky Stuart, so we’ll see how that plays out early on.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Fixtures</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Round 1: </strong>Sea Eagles (A)</p>



<p><strong>Round 2: </strong>Warriors (A)</p>



<p><strong>Round 3: </strong>Bulldogs (H)</p>



<p><strong>Round 4: </strong>Sharks (H)</p>



<p><strong>Round 5: </strong>Knights (A)</p>



<p><strong>Byes: (Major bye rounds are 12, 15, 18)</strong></p>



<p>Round 11, 18, 26</p>



<p><strong>Verdict: </strong>The Raiders play the first two major bye rounds in a huge bonus for their Supercoach contingent.</p>



<p>They play three of their first five away, including their opening two rounds.</p>



<p>They face three top eight sides from 2025 along with the last-placed Newcastle Knights.</p>



<p>It’s a fairly tough opening draw to begin the season, but also not quite scary enough to warrant steering clear of any players that Supercoaches may be keen on.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Start</strong></h2>



<p>Outside of Ethan Sanders who I’ve spoken about below, I’ll be very reluctant to start any Raiders players at this stage.</p>



<p>Off the back of a minor premiership where very little went wrong in the regular season, including injuries, I feel most mid-range or gun options are priced at near enough their peak.</p>



<p>Either that, or there are better Supercoach options in the position to consider.</p>



<p>That being said, there are plenty that are worth strong consideration that are on an upward trajectory and could outperform there starting value.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Consider</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Savelio Tamale I $547,000 I CTW</strong></p>



<p>Tamale is one you could make a genuine case for in Round 1.</p>



<p>With exceptional tackle busting ability and a big workrate he’s an extremely reliable CTW play.</p>



<p>He scored just six tries in 15 games (discounted 14 min game in Rd 14), had a base of 26 per game and elevated his scoring with 104 tacklebusts at 6.93 per game.</p>



<p>Tamale excelled in his first full NRL season and could join the elite of the game in coming years.</p>



<p><strong>Ethan Strange I $610,600 I 5/8</strong></p>



<p>Strange scored 15 tries in 23 games last season which is a brilliant strike-rate for a five-eighth.</p>



<p>It suggests to me that he’s probably overvalued to begin the year, but on the flip side you could easily argue he’s a youngster that’s on a rapid rise and will only improve.</p>



<p>He averaged 62 points per game last season with 25 in base stats.</p>



<p>I’m a little torn, but an early look at the five-eighth position is pretty grim.</p>



<p>He may kick goals which would naturally make him a far more enticing target.</p>



<p>While I’m likely to avoid early, he’ll be a big pre-season watch and if he looks to have come back better I may reassess.</p>



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<p><strong>Joe Tapine I $702,300 I FRF</strong></p>



<p>I don’t particularly like Tapine from round 1, but he is a genuine Supercoach gun that requires mentioning.</p>



<p>I prefer the likes of Terrell May or Payne Haas early on as I feel they’re more reliable skipper options in the opening months.</p>



<p>Tapine averaged a brilliant 72 points per game last season, a five point increase on his best over the past five years.</p>



<p>For that reason I feel he’s at peak price, so I’ll be looking elsewhere.</p>



<p>Expect him to be the most purchased player in round 11 after their bye which will be leading into the Origin period.</p>



<p><strong>Hudson Young I $754,000 I 2RF</strong></p>



<p>It’s a bit rinse and repeat on Hudson as it is Tapine.</p>



<p>He’s simply elite and will again be among the best 2RFs in Supercoach, but how much value is there early on?</p>



<p>He averaged 77 points per game in 2025 which was seven points higher than his best output in the past five seasons.</p>



<p>While the try-scoring did dry up late, he scored 10 tries in his opening 12 games.</p>



<p>He’ll be on my radar at some stage, but I’ll be chasing value elsewhere at 2RF early on.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Cheapies</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Ethan Sanders I $246,400 I HFB</strong></p>



<p>Sanders is one that’s very likely to be in my starting squad to begin the season.</p>



<p>He’s expected to get the nod at halfback where he starts at near bottom dollar.</p>



<p>He may even kick goals which would make him a lock to begin the year.</p>



<p><strong>Coby Black I $201,400 I HFB</strong></p>



<p>Black isn’t expected to start the season, but if anything happens to the starting halves or if he edges ahead of Sanders he’d be in for me.</p>



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NRL Supercoach 2026: Canberra Raiders squad analysis

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