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Kaeo Weekes' Canberra Raiders tour goes well
by David Polkinghorne
The Canberra Raiders were impressed with Kaeo Weekes and Weekes was impressed with the Raiders, with both parties hopeful he could join the Green Machine on a two-year deal.
But the deal was dependent on the Manly Sea Eagles releasing him from the final year of his contract.
Weekes signed a one-year extension with the Sea Eagles this year - an extension that was yet to be announced by the club.
Manly reportedly told the 21-year-old at the start of September he was free to leave if he found a better offer elsewhere.
But because he's still contracted to the Sea Eagles until the end of next year he still needed approval from them
to make the trip to Canberra - which Manly gave.
It looked increasingly likely Canberra could be his new home after he toured Raiders HQ last week.
The Raiders see him as a versatile playmaker who can fill the roles of five-eighth, fullback or hooker - the roles he's played in his 12 NRL games so far.
He's also played one game at halfback for the Sea Eagles in the NSW Cup.
The Raiders were in the hunt to bolster their playmaking stocks following the departures of Jack Wighton (South Sydney), Matt Frawley (Leeds) and Brad Schneider (Penrith) this season.
Their departures have left them with only Jamal Fogarty and Ethan Strange as halves with NRL experience, although they have signed Newcastle utility Simi Sagagi for the next two years.
Sasagi has played in the Knights halves in the NSW Cup, but the Raiders saw him as a centre/second-rower with plenty of utility value.
Fogarty's contract was up at the end of 2024, but the club was in talks to extend that for another season - although Fogarty has said he will test the market come November 1 when he's free to talk to other clubs.
The Raiders were also hopeful Parramatta will release young halfback Ethan Sanders from the final year of his contract to come to Canberra next season.
Strange has played just the one NRL game, making his debut in the centres against the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne in round 24.
But he has shone at five-eighth in NSW Cup this year.
Frawley backed Strange to establish himself as an NRL player in 2024, although he urged patience when asked if he was ready to slot straight into the No.6 jersey.
He described Strange as an athlete, giving him similarities to the departing Wighton.
Frawley also felt the Raiders would still look to bolster their halves depth given all the departures this season.
He felt it pointed towards an exciting future for the Green Machine, despite the loss of experience in the spine.
"You don't want to rush these things, but I've got a massive wrap on Ethan and more importantly he's a really good kid that wants to learn, get better and wants to take things on," Frawley said.
"He's a different player to me - he's about 20ks faster than me, he's an athlete and I'm definitely not one of those.
"It's exciting for the club. They're still going to have to get some depth there too."
