Green energy: Sanders quick to find his voice in Canberra

Just five months after blowing out 20 candles on his birthday cake, Ethan Sanders gave a clear indication of his maturity and willingness to move outside his comfort zone when he signed a three-year deal with the Raiders.

For a young bloke who played his junior footy with Hills Bulls and tasted premiership glory with the Eels in the 2023 SG Ball competition, the decision to swap Sydney's west for the national capital was not taken lightly.

Not long before his move to Canberra was made official, Sanders had broken into the NRL side at Parramatta, playing two games at five-eighth in Round 8 and 10 alongside Dylan Brown.

By the end of the 2024 season he had also chalked up 22 NSW Cup appearances, scoring 11 tries and further enhancing his reputation as a playmaker of the future.

And that future is now in Canberra.

"I had been at Parra my whole life and I wanted a change," Sanders said.

"I thought if I can move away from home and grow up off the field it will help me on the field as well.

"Training has been great so far. It's been tough, they've been driving that from the start, it's not going to be an easy pre-season.

"As a young crew we spoke about not waiting for the older boys to lift it up [when they came back]. It's up to us young boys to lift up the intensity and let the older boys follow us.

"Jamal [Fogarty] has been massive the first couple of weeks he's been back, so if I can learn as much as I can from him it will put me in good stead to put me back in that [NRL] arena.

"There's always stuff you can learn – whether it is how you are talking to them, when you are talking to them. I need to chat constantly and stay relentless with that."

For his part, 30-year-old Fogarty has relished the opportunity to get back into familiar surroundings at Raiders HQ and share his knowledge with Canberra's Generation Next.

"They gave us an extra week off after playing PM's XIII but I thought there's no point going to the park and training on my own when I can come in here and train with the young fellas," said Fogarty, who in November added a green and gold jersey to his 2021 Indigenous All Stars cap.

"The club is going into a new era where they are backing all the young kids with their talent and we need to put a bit of time and patience into them.

"They are all great footballers, we just need to get them up to speed with the way we want to play.

"I'll try and educate all the young kids below me and pick their brain as well - find out what they like to do and how they like to do it."

Having played finals at the Titans in 2021 and the Raiders in 2023, Fogarty will again be the calming influence coach Ricky Stuart turns to in 2025 to show his young guns the ropes.

From Kaeo Weekes and Ethan Strange to Xavier Savage and Chevy Stewart, the Raiders boast a potent backline capable of tearing any opposition apart on their day.

The arrival of Sanders, who played NSW under 19 alongside Strange and Stewart in 2023, adds another dimension to the Raiders' attack as they build up to a massive season opener in Las Vegas in March.

"One thing I've noticed with Ethan is that he talks, and as a half you need to do that," Fogarty said.

"As a playmaker you’re not going to do your job very well if you don’t talk.

"He is very fit at the moment and the club will be in good hands moving forward."