Canberra Raiders 2025 season review
- Overview
- Highs
- Lows
- 2025 RLB Player of the Year – Ethan Strange
- Reasons to be positive in 2026
- My 2025 prediction – 12th
- Final 2025 position – 1st (+11)
Overview
Talk about a tale of two halves. Not many people backed the Raiders to even make the top eight in 2025 (myself included), but not only did they get in the top eight, they were also Minor Premiers for the first time since 1990.
They clinched top spot with a game to spare, and that’s when it all went horribly wrong. Superstitious RL fans will tell you their hopes were over in Round 27 when an under-strength side conceded 62 points to the Dolphins. For context, no team has ever conceded 50+ points in a match and gone on to win the Premiership that season.
As it was, the Raiders became the first ladder leaders to be knocked out of Finals in straight sets since the Dragons in 2009.
An agonising 29-28 loss to the Broncos in week one was followed up by a tired performance in a 32-12 loss a week later against the Sharks, as Canberra’s impressive season came to a sad end.
Highs
A first Minor Premiership in 35 years is something to shout about, and it was Canberra’s consistency that got them there.
Nine straight wins between Rounds 11 and 21 cemented their place at the top, and they never looked back.
Individually, there were career-best seasons for a number of players, and there are far too many to mention them all here.
And whether it was luck or conditioning, the Raiders’ consistency stretched as far as the players themselves – with 16 of them playing 20 or more games, and very few major injuries to contend with.
Lows
The Broncos defeat in week one of the Finals completely knocked the stuffing out of Canberra. They should have been home and hosed with a 16-point lead and 15 minutes left on the clock, but to lose in the manner they did, felt as though their season was done and dusted in that moment.
Their 32-12 loss to the Sharks a week later wasn’t a huge surprise in the end, and they sorely missed Ethan Strange in that game.
2025 RLB Player of the Year – Ethan Strange
2025 was a breakout year for the 21-year-old as he made the number six jersey his own and saw his form rewarded with a Kangaroos call-up. His 14 try-haul was a huge improvement on the two he scored in 2024, and just about all the stats you’d want from a five-eighth increased.
Reasons to be positive in 2026
The Raiders have a relatively young squad. Keep them all together and they could be challenging at the top for several years to come.
The likes of Ethan Strange and Owen Pattie should continue to get better and better, while Matty Nicholson was sensational in the first 10 rounds of the year before injury struck. He’ll be like a new signing all over again in 2026.
My 2025 prediction – 12th
Final 2025 position – 1st (+11)
This was a horrible, horrible prediction and the Raiders certainly shocked me with their form in 2025. They’ll do well to back up this effort next year, but I certainly won’t underestimate them quite so much.
