The pre-season 2026 thread


Mooney from this year. Only includes try scoring plays so a narrow way to view/judge a middle forward especially, but it’s something. Reckon you get more of a sense of what he could be on the plays where he’s setting up others, has a lot of x-factor for a middle forward and can just make weird **** happen. The around the back pass at speed with a defender all over him in the second clip probably the best example.


Bonus Asu Kepaoa. Led NSW Cup with 21 tries in 18 games (De Courcey close behind with 19 in 18 games + another 10 from 7 games of Jersey Flegg). A few decent finishes but a lot of strolling over untouched as well. Him and Mooney both made the NSW Cup Team of the Year.
 
Lot to look fwd to, Saulo Cup player of year for Canberra, try scoring by DeCourcey and Kepaoa, and Mooney playing strong along with our younger brigades such as McEwan, Hopwood, ESL, Manulelao etc along with our regular Knights starters, thinking close to top 8 but likely 9-12.
Be nice to have the likes of Ponga, Lucas and Sharpe play more games than last season
 
We can be the Canberra of 2025! There’s always one team that is a bolter. I say a lot of the experts will rate Canberra higher, but I’m not sure, I think Fogarty could be a huge loss for them.
 
frankLauda said:
We can be the Canberra of 2025! There’s always one team that is a bolter. I say a lot of the experts will rate Canberra higher, but I’m not sure, I think Fogarty could be a huge loss for them.
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You could argue we are better 1-7, but the rest isn't even close 🤣
1. Weekes or Ponga ----> Ponga
2. Tamale or Young -----> Young
3. Timoko or Gagai -----> Gagai
4. Kris or Best -----> Best
5. Savage or Sharpe -----> Sharpe
6. Strange or Brown -----> Strange (CLOSE)
7. Sanders or Sandon ------> Sandon (CLOSE)

That pack is just a cheat code.
 
Brown and Strange is debateable. Timoko still can't defend to save his life. Their one huge weakness is their backline defence.
 
Timoko looked like he was gonna be a truely elite centre but he stagnated a couple years back and even though Canberra had a great season he didn’t make it back to his previous levels. I’d definitely take a 300 year old Gags over him at this stage.

Brown has a better skillset than Strange but if you look at both their seasons you’d probably take Strange over him.
 
mozza said:
Timoko looked like he was gonna be a truely elite centre but he stagnated a couple years back and even though Canberra had a great season he didn’t make it back to his previous levels. I’d definitely take a 300 year old Gags over him at this stage.

Brown has a better skillset than Strange but if you look at both their seasons you’d probably take Strange over him.
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Agreed. And yeah Brown could def be better, but i'm giving the dally m five eight of the year credit.
 
Fletcher Hunt - the forgotten man.

19 years old - younger than Matt Arthur, Jermaine McEwen and Wilson DeCourcey - although born in the same year (turns 20 0n boxing day)

Has played 12 games of firstgrade and scored 5 tries in 2025. He played all over the backline. I don't think he'd played wing or centre before last year - he was a 5/8 and fullback before that.

Has played for the PMs 13 and went OK.

2025 was his second year at the Knights.

In 2024 he played 5/8 in SG Ball and fullback in Flegg.

I don't think he got a full NRL pre-season in 2025. He was in none of the early photos, and he is hard to miss in photos. I believe he was brought in when Jye Linnane and Tyson Gamble were both injured, and he missed a lot of the fitness work in the early sessions.

During firstgrade games last year he often wasn't keeping up when breaks were made and he gave the impression he was slow, but other times he showed the pace to get into position to contest kicks and score tries. My theory is he wasn't as fit as he should have been, due to his young age and short pre-season.

His contract was extended till the end of 2027, but he is only on a development contract.

He has been at training from very early this year, and he got to play and train with the PMs 13.

In 2026 he'll be an experienced firstgrader, a rep player, no longer a teenager, and will have a full pre-season behind him.
 
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