Canberra Raiders Face Early Season Struggles
Despite a challenging start to the 2026 season, Coach Ricky Stuart remains confident that alarm bells are not ringing within the Canberra Raiders’ camp. The team has experienced a significant drop in performance, with their worst start (1-3) since winning the NRL minor premiership in the previous year. This marks a stark contrast to their strong form last season, where they averaged 26.7 points per game.
In this current season, the Raiders have struggled to maintain their offensive momentum, scoring only 16.8 points per game. This decline has placed them at 15th on the NRL ladder, with their sole victory coming from a golden-point field goal by Ethan Sanders in a 29-28 win over Manly in round one.
Stuart expressed concern about the team’s self-destructive tendencies during his post-match press conference after a 34-22 loss to Cronulla. The Raiders made 13 errors, incurred numerous penalties, and faced a crucial early sin bin for Corey Horsburgh. Despite these challenges, the coach emphasized that the team’s attitude remains unchanged.
“I’ve been in worse positions than this. We’ll get through it because they’re a resilient bunch. There’s probably more panic outside than there is inside,” Stuart said on Saturday. He added that the team is aware of the difficulties they are facing but remains focused on turning things around.
“It’s round five. It’s not going to be the only difficult period that we go through this year. The guys obviously don’t like this situation of losing three in a row, but … they just put their heads down and keep working hard to try and turn it around. That’s the only thing you can do.”
Looking Ahead: Raiders vs Newcastle
The Raiders are now focusing on their upcoming match against Newcastle, which will take place at the McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday. The venue is expected to be filled with fans, creating an exciting atmosphere for the game.
Canberra will welcome back their inspirational captain, Josh Papali’i, who has served a suspension. His return is seen as a positive development, as he brings valuable experience to the team during this challenging period.
“He’s an important part of the team. That little bit of experience is always beneficial, especially through a difficult period like we’re in at the moment,” Stuart said.
Newcastle, currently sitting at 3-1, will still be without their high-profile players Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown. However, they aim to build on their early-season momentum after defeating Canterbury 24-16 in the previous round.
Prop Trey Mooney is set to return from suspension, while hooker Harrison Graham has been promoted to the bench. Knights centre Dane Gagai highlighted the importance of maintaining focus and effort in the upcoming game.
“We can never be satisfied with how we’re going because, as a great man once said to me, if you pat yourself on the back too much you fall asleep,” Gagai said. “We’re going to have to be good this weekend because we’re coming up against a pretty formidable forward pack.”
