Canberra Raiders are set to lose one of their greatest modern servants at the end of 2024, a man adored by English and Australian fans alike.
This is of course Elliott Whitehead. Whitehead started his career with the Bradford Bulls where he really started to catch the eye especially for his rare try scoring ability scoring a hat trick in defeat to Leeds Rhinos at the 2011 Magic Weekend.
Whitehead would then earn a move to Catalans Dragons where he would quickly cement himself as Super League’s top backrower. Naturally, this was a springboard for the second-row to make the move to the NRL.
He was just one of a number of British players signed by the Green Machine. Josh Hodgson, John Bateman, Ryan Sutton, George Williams and now Morgan Smithies have all joined the club in the last 10 years.
But the England international’s time with the club, which yielded a Grand Final appearance in 2019, is set to come to an end in 2024 with the second-row set to retire come the end of the upcoming campaign.
The Canberra Raiders are now assessing their options and Serious About Rugby League understands that they are interested in a number of Super League stars in the role.
There are a number of targets for them to consider including the likes of Curtis Sironen, Sione Mata’utia and other former NRL stars as well as some of the exciting young British talent in Super League.
They have also considered a move for NRL stars as you would expect such as Zac Hosking who has had a tour of their facilities lately.
“We’re always looking to strengthen our roster. We brought he and his girlfriend down to have a look at the facility in Canberra and have a discussion in regards to his future,” Head Coach Ricky Stuart told the Canberra Times..
“He’s a good young player and a player we think can add to our current roster.
“There’s been no contractual negotiations as of yet. We’ve got to make sure he wants to be a Raider first.”
The club have a lot of options to consider when replacing Whitehead.
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