Raiders the landing spot for Smith, if he wants to stay as second fiddle

The Canberra Raiders are very interested in signing Sandon Smith for next season and could get their man as soon as November this year if he’s happy to leave the Sydney Roosters to parachute into a similar back-up role.

The Roosters have told Smith he’s surplus to requirements, with Sam Walker and Hugo Savala expected to be their starting halves and incoming signing Daly Cherry-Evans rounding out the sixes-and-sevens options.

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Ricky Stuart and the Raiders have jumped at the opportunity and are eager to sign Smith as soon as possible – he can already formally speak to NRL suitors if he wants – but it’s not as clear-cut as Smith just jumping ship. Instead, he has to decide whether he wants to be stuck behind the green machine’s halves combination, Ethan Sanders and Ethan Strange.

Sanders hasn’t been starting in the NRL this season, but with Jamal Fogarty leaving to join the Sea Eagles from 2026, the 21-year-old is the heir to one of the two halves jerseys moving forward. Strange would then take up the other slot.

That situation could leave Smith, 22, stuck behind more trusted starting sixs and sevens again.

The Sporting Base understands it’s the only thing stopping him from signing already.

(He is signed with the Roosters for next year, but the tricolours are happy to let him leave early.)

It may be he waits until the end of the season to properly tour facilities and meet with club officials, but he has been speaking to several clubs to gauge his options and figure out who is serious about signing him for ’26 onward.

On that front, the North Queensland Cowboys and Newcastle Knights are both on the scene, with each liking Smith as an instant starter in their side. That’s enough to give Smith pause to consider his options over simply taking up a deal to move to the nation’s capital.

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He’s doing all the right things now that he’s in the window too – on the weekend, the 22-year-old scored two tries in the dying 12 minutes of his NSW Cup outing for the Raiders as they beat the North Sydney Bears by four points.

Through the 80 minutes, he clocked up two linebreaks and ran 22 times for 166 metres.

Clubs know exactly what they’re going to get by signing Smith, but a reminder is always good too.