Canberra has continued its raid on Brisbane after apparently snapping up another talented youngster from the Broncos’ system. Ricky Stuart’s Raiders left the Broncos and NRL fans stunned last week after poaching Brisbane academy star Coby Black, on a three-year deal from 2027.
And the Raiders have landed another blow on Michael Maguire’s Brisbane side after seemingly snapping up another young gun from the club’s nursery of talent – Saxon Innes. The young Burleigh Bears fullback was picked at No.1 in the 2025 Meninga Cup Team of the Season – the premier rugby league competition in Queensland for players aged 18 and under.
Broncos coach Michael Maguire (L) has lost another young gun to Ricky Stuart’s (R) Raiders after Coby Black’s shock move was confirmed last week. Pic: Getty
Innes was signed to the Broncos’ system after impressing with his fleet-footed skills, try-scoring ability and explosive pace. He’s also quickly formed a reputation as one of the best defensive fullbacks in the Meninga Cup, using his exceptional speed and ability to read the game to nullify opposition kicking games and provide defensive cover at the back.
There hasn’t been any official announcement, but Innes was spotted at the Raiders’ pre-season training last week.
The lure of furthering his development under Stuart in Canberra is understandable. The veteran Raiders coach has a proven reputation for nurturing young talent, with Canberra No.1 Kaeo Weekes and five-eighth Ethan Strange two prime examples. Both had career-best seasons for the Raiders in 2025 and were key to Canberra’s minor premiership triumph and march to the NRL preliminary final this year.
Innes will be hoping to follow a similar trajectory and look to push his case for first-grade footy in coming years. While his decision to leave the Broncos’ system comes as another blow to Brisbane, it’s understandable seeing as though Reece Walsh is tied down until at least the end of 2029 and Innes would have been stuck behind the marquee superstar for years to come.
Brisbane young gun follows Coby Black to Canberra
The move comes hot on the heels of Black’s shock decision to cut ties with the Broncos and announce his own move to Canberra in 2027. It was long thought the 19-year-old prodigy was being groomed as Adam Reynolds’ long-term successor at halfback for Brisbane, and he was recently described by coach Michael Maguire as the ‘future of the club’.
But Brisbane’s signing of former Storm playmaker Jonah Pezet on a three-year deal from 2027 threw the future of Black up in the air. The Broncos also signed young halfback Tom Duffy from the Cowboys for next season, which further complicated Black’s situation.
Ricky Stuart’s Raiders have signed Broncos young gun Coby Black from 2027 in a move that took many in the NRL world by shock. Pic: AAP/Getty
Most expect Pezet and Ezra Mam to become Brisbane’s long-term halves partnership when Reynolds retires, possibly after next season. But the Broncos skipper has hinted that he could play on in 2027, blocking Black’s path to first-grade footy.
The young gun featured in Queensland’s U/19 side this year but has decided to seek a fresh start under Stuart in Canberra. The Raiders have lost halfback Jamal Fogarty to Manly next season, with Stuart revealing that young gun Ethan Sanders would be given first crack in the No.7 jersey in 2026.
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Sanders and Black are then set to battle it out for the halfback spot when the Brisbane teenager arrives in 2027. Former NRL premiership winner Bryan Fletcher said Canberra’s move for Black took him by shock after Stuart indicated earlier this year that they’d be looking at signing an experienced halfback to replace Fogarty.
“No one saw this coming,” Fletcher said on SEN radio. “I can understand why he is going, but it is interesting him going to Canberra. Because when we spoke to Sticky (Ricky Stuart) when Jamal Fogarty had said he was signing with Manly, we asked him, ‘what are you going to do? Do you want a bit of a journeyman?’
“And he said, ‘Yeah, I’m not going to put a kid straight in’. But now, it looks like Ethan Sanders is going to have a bit of competition, healthy competition. He’s (Black) only a pup himself.”