The Canberra Raiders enter 2019 a team under pressure after just two finals appearances in the past seven seasons.
Canberra underperformed last year to finish 10th, with embattled coach Ricky Stuart branding his team "soft" following one particularly meek defeat.
What makes the Raiders' recent mediocre output so vexing is the fact their talent is undeniable.
The Green Machine has the arsenal to compete with any team but habitually lets opportunities slip. Case in point: they lost eight matches by a converted try in 2018.
In fairness, injuries crippled Canberra at crucial stages during the season and they will again hamper their start to '19.
Respective shoulder complaints will likely see freakish try-scorer Jordan Rapana and young half Ata Hingano miss the opening quarter of the competition at least.
But it's not all bad news as some key personnel is back on deck.
Star centre, goal-kicker and co-captain Jarrod Croker returns from a dislocated knee, and athletic fullback Jack Wighton is available after completing a suspension for an off-field misdemeanour.
The great unknown next season is whether the previously lacklustre halves combination of Aidan Sezer and Sam Williams can stand up and take control of Canberra's attack.
Given the Raiders dropped their first four games last year, a solid start to 2019 is imperative. Otherwise, Stuart could quickly find himself on the coaching scrapheap.
CANBERRA RAIDERS PRE-SEASON NEWS
Canberra were among the first teams to begin pre-season training as they look to improve on the results of 2018.
However, their preparations for 2019 were thrown into disarray when Ata Hingano and Jordan Rapana sustained serious shoulder injuries in international fixtures.
The NRL afforded around $175,000 of salary cap relief to the Raiders to help them replace Rapana for the first half of 2019.
If a substitute is signed, Rapana cannot play until round 13 regardless of his fitness.
In other news, Jack Wighton was handed a two-month suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to assault.
But the NRL won't impose any further sanctions, leaving him free to play in round one following the 10-match ban he served in 2018.
The Raiders will employ co-captains in 2019 after announcing hooker Josh Hodgson will join Jarrod Croker in leading the club.
Former Warriors flyer Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad joined the Raiders in February. He is tipped to play fullback.
Former Sharks hooker and Michael Ennis has signed on as a coaching consultant with the Raiders this year.
It's an interesting move, given Ennis has been widely loathed in the ACT since the renowned pest mocked the Canberra fans' 'Viking Clap' in 2016 while celebrating the Sharks' tight semi-final triumph.
PRE-SEASON TRIALS
Friday, 15 February – Raiders 22 def. Eels 20
Saturday, 23 February – Raiders 28 vs Bulldogs 22
CANBERRA RAIDERS' 30-MAN NRL SQUAD
Along with Junior Paulo and Shannon Boyd, fan favourite Blake Austin is no longer a Raider after joining the Warrington Wolves in the Super League.
He's currently the favourite for the Man of Steel award.
Canberra also confirmed the release of forward Liam Knight, who has joined South Sydney under new coach Wayne Bennett.
The club secured a handful of promising forwards to cover the sizeable departures of Paulo and Boyd.
Among the signings is 22-year-old ex-Wests Tigers and Newcastle Knights prop JJ Collins (formerly Felise), who has shown potential in his 15 NRL games.
English bookend Ryan Sutton also joins the team from the Wigan Warriors, where he came off the bench in the side's recent grand final win.
The biggest coup is that of strapping England international back-rower John Bateman.
He will try his hand in the NRL after playing 152 Super League matches and 15 Tests.
Like Sutton, Bateman featured in Wigan's 2018 title triumph.
The club has six train-and-trial players – Lachlan Cooper, Dan Keir, Matt Lyons, Makahesi Makatoa, Reuben Porter and Tony Satini.
Canberra have listed Andre Niko, Brendan O'Hagan and Kyle Paterson as development players for 2019.
Former New Zealand rugby sevens player Bailey Simonsson was awarded a full-time contract in February.
Development players are allowed to be selected in the NRL after June 30, with an exemption needed to feature in the top grade before then.
| Player | Date of Birth | Height, weight | Position | NRL matches | Rep honours | |
| 1 | Aidan Sezer | 24/6/1991 | 180cm, 90kg | Halfback/Five-eighth | 137 | Indigenous All Stars, City Origin, Turkey |
| 2 | Bailey Simonsson | 18/2/1998 | 188cm, 95kg | Fullback | 0 | Nil |
| 3 | Brad Abbey | 30/12/1996 | 183cm, 90kg | Fullback | 13 | Nil |
| 4 | Corey Horsburgh | 3/1/1998 | 188cm, 100kg | Prop/Lock | 0 | Nil |
| 5 | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | 2/8/1995 | 182cm, 86kg | Fullback/Wing | 7 | Cook Islands |
| 6 | Dunamis Lui | 16/2/1990 | 180cm, 106kg | Prop | 111 | Samoa |
| 7 | Elliott Whitehead | 4/9/1989 | 183cm, 102kg | Second-row | 74 | England |
| 8 | Emre Guler | 19/1/1998 | 191cm, 110kg | Prop | 3 | Nil |
| 9 | Hudson Young | 11/6/1998 | Not listed | Second-row | 0 | Nil |
| 10 | Jack Murchie | 26/6/1997 | 193cm, 105kg | Second-row | 2 | Nil |
| 11 | Jack Wighton | 4/2/1993 | 188cm, 93kg | Fullback/Centre | 130 | Indigenous All Stars, NSW Country, PM's XIII |
| 12 | Jarrod Croker (captain) | 11/9/1990 | 185cm, 93kg | Centre | 230 | NRL All Stars, World All Stars, Country Origin, PM's XIII |
| 13 | JJ Collins | 15/2/1996 | 184cm, 105kg | Prop | 15 | Nil |
| 14 | John Bateman | 30/9/1993 | 185cm, 98kg | Second-row/Lock | 0 | England |
| 15 | Jordan Rapana | 15/8/1989 | 188cm, 98kg | Wing | 97 | New Zealand, Cook Islands |
| 16 | Joseph Leilua | 12/12/1991 | 185cm, 104kg | Centre | 192 | Samoa, City Origin |
| 17 | Joseph Tapine | 4/5/1994 | 188cm, 107kg | Second-row/Lock | 83 | New Zealand |
| 18 | Josh Hodgson(captain) | 31/10/1989 | 180cm, 97kg | Hooker | 84 | England, England Knights |
| 19 | Josh Papalii | 13/5/1992 | 183cm, 112kg | Second-row/Lock/Prop | 171 | Australia, Samoa, Queensland, PM's XIII |
| 20 | Luke Bateman | 25/1/1995 | 182cm, 100kg | Lock | 71 | Nil |
| 21 | Ata Hingano | 11/3/1997 | 183cm, 93kg | Five-eighth/Halfback | 24 | Tonga |
| 22 | Michael Oldfield | 24/11/1990 | 186cm, 90kg | Wing | 39 | Nil |
| 23 | Nick Cotric | 18/11/1998 | 185cm, 98k | Wing/Fullback | 48 | Nil |
| 24 | Royce Hunt | 13/8/1995 | 192cm, 112kg | Prop | 1 | Nil |
| 25 | Ryan Sutton | 2/8/1995 | 189cm, 106kg | Prop | 0 | Nil |
| 26 | Sam Williams | 18/3/1991 | 179cm, 85kg | Halfback | 84 | Country Origin |
| 27 | Sebastian Kris | 19/4/1999 | 182cm, 99kg | Centre | 0 | Nil |
| 28 | Iosia Soliola | 4/8/1986 | 182cm, 107kg | Prop | 174 | New Zealand, Samoa |
| 29 | Siliva Havili | 18/2/1993 | 175cm, 99kg | Hooker | 48 | Tonga, New Zealand |
| 30 | TBC | – | – | – | – | – |
COACH: Ricky Stuart
Additions (players who weren't in 2018 top 30 squad): John Bateman (Wigan Warriors), Ryan Sutton (Wigan Warriors), Sebastian Kris, Corey Horsburgh, Hudson Young, JJ Collins (Newcastle Knights), Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (New Zealand Warriors, Bailey Simonsson
Losses: Shannon Boyd (Gold Coast Titans), Junior Paulo (Parramatta Eels), Blake Austin (Warrington Wolves), Liam Knight (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Craig Garvey (unsigned), Makahesi Makatoa (unsigned), Mikaele Ravalawa (unsigned)
Re-signed: Luke Bateman (2019), Nick Cotric (2020), Siliva Havili (2020), Josh Hodgson (2022), Dunamis Lui (2021), Jack Murchie (2020), Michael Oldfield (2020), Josh Papalii (2022), Aidan Sezer (2020), Iosia Soliola (2020), Joseph Tapine (2023), Emre Guler (2021)
Off-contract beyond 2019: Brad Abbey, Luke Bateman, Ata Hingano, Corey Horsburgh, Royce Hunt, Sebastian Kris, Jordan Rapana, Sam Williams, Hudson Young
Development players: Brendan O'Hagan, Kyle Paterson, Andre Niko, Reuben Porter
CANBERRA RAIDERS' BETTING ODDS
Priced at $21 (via TAB as of 20/2/19), the Raiders are 10th in the betting to win the 2019 premiership (via TAB as of 7/12/18). It would be Canberra's first title since 1994 when the great Mal Meninga led the team to victory in his farewell match.
Josh Hodgson is the club's shortest price for the Dally M Medal at $26, followed by Jack Wighton ($51) and Joey Leilua and Aidan Sezer ($101).
The Raiders are paying $2.20 to make the top eight, $4.75 to secure a coveted top four finish and $13 to suffer the most losses.
CANBERRA RAIDERS' 2019 DRAW
Games played on
Thursday: 1
Friday: 4
Saturday: 9
Sunday: 10
Teams they play twice
Melbourne Storm, North Queensland Cowboys, Parramatta Eels, Manly Sea Eagles, Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters, Wests Tigers, Cronulla Sharks, New Zealand Warriors
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue |
| 1 | Sunday 17 March 6:10pm | Gold Coast Titans | Cbus Super Stadium |
| 2 | Friday 22 March 6:00pm | Melbourne Storm | GIO Stadium |
| 3 | Friday 29 March 6:00pm | Newcastle Knights | GIO Stadium |
| 4 | Saturday 6 April 5:30pm | North Queensland Cowboys | 1300SMILES Stadium |
| 5 | Sunday 14 April 6:10pm | Parramatta Eels | GIO Stadium |
| 6 | Sunday 21 April 4:05pm | Brisbane Broncos | GIO Stadium |
| 7 | Sunday 28 April 2:00pm | Manly Sea Eagles | Lottoland |
| 8 | Saturday 4 May 3:00pm | Penrith Panthers | McDonalds Park |
| 9 | Sunday 12 May 2:00pm | Sydney Roosters | Suncorp Stadium |
| 10 | Saturday 18 May 7:35pm | South Sydney Rabbitohs | GIO Stadium |
| 11 | Saturday 25 May 3:00pm | North Queensland Cowboys | GIO Stadium |
| 12 | Saturday 1 June 7:35pm | Canterbury Bulldogs | ANZ Stadium |
| 13 | Friday 7 June 7:55pm | Wests Tigers | Bankwest Stadium |
| 14 | Thursday 13 June 7:50pm | Cronulla Sharks | GIO Stadium |
| 15 | Saturday 29 June 7:35pm | Parramatta Eels | TIO Stadium |
| 16 | BYE | – | – |
| 17 | Sunday 14 July 6:10pm | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium |
| 18 | Saturday 20 July 5:30pm | Wests Tigers | GIO Stadium |
| 19 | Sunday 28 July 4:05pm | Penrith Panthers | Panthers Stadium |
| 20 | Friday 2 August 6:00pm | New Zealand Warriors | Mt Smart Stadium |
| 21 | Sunday 11 August 2:00pm | Sydney Roosters | GIO Stadium |
| 22 | Saturday 17 August 5:30pm | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park |
| 23 | Sunday 25 August 4:05pm | Manly Sea Eagles | GIO Stadium |
| 24 | Sunday 1 September 2:00pm | Cronulla Sharks | Shark Park |
| 25 | Saturday 7 September 3:00pm | New Zealand Warriors | GIO Stadium |
It's a big year for...
Jack Wighton.
Blessed with ample amounts of speed, skill and agility, Wighton is at a crossroads in his career heading into 2019.
The fullback missed the back-end of last season after being stood down on assault charges and needs to re-establish himself in the NRL.
Only a few years ago Wighton was on the verge of playing State of Origin for NSW. He's currently in danger of losing the Canberra No.1 jumper, as young gun Nick Cotric looms large.
With plenty of football in front of him, the 25-year-old has the chance to use his recent suspension as the turning point to fulfil his untapped potential.
Wighton's road to redemption starts in 2019.
MEMBERSHIP AND TICKETING
As of 16 February, the Raiders had 12,752 members for 2019.
Canberra finished with 20,055 members last season.
Membership packages can be viewed here.
General tickets for the season are available here. 