Canberra Raiders are moving to keep their incredible side together with contract offers discussed for two former Super League standouts.
The Raiders currently top the NRL and were the first side to qualify for the play-offs and a big part of the success at Canberra can be attributed to their impressive middle unit.
Within that are two former Super League men and England internationals, both of whom are off contract at the end of the 2026 season.
Rival teams can open negotiations with off-contract players from December 1st and with Perth Bears set to enter the competition from 2027 onwards, Canberra, like many other NRL sides, are scrambling to get deals done and that has seen the Raiders open talks with two England stars.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Canberra have offered an extension to Morgan Smithies and are set to hold talks with fellow forward Matty Nicholson in a bid to keep the talented pair beyond 2026.
Canberra Raiders to tie down England internationals
Canberra have lost just three times in 2025 and they look set for a first Minor Premiership in their NRL history and the club’s first since 1990. They’re also favoured to go and win a first NRL Grand Final, having finished as runners-up in 2019.
That 2019 Canberra side had some very familiar faces to Super League with the likes of Nick Cotric, Jordan Rapana, Aidan Sezer all playing, as well as English trio Josh Hodgson, Elliott Whitehead and John Bateman.
The Raiders will be hoping that their current English duo can go one better this year and perhaps defend that crown in years to come as they aim to tie Smithies and Nicholson down to new deals.
Smithies has played 18 of the club’s 19 games this year and has been one of the Green Machine’s standouts, however, Nicholson has missed lots of time through injury.
He got his debut NRL season off to a flyer as he scored five tries in his opening nine games but he’s not played since early May after suffering a fractured fibula. It was confirmed initially as a 12-week injury so the second-rower could be set to return and have another chance to prove himself worthy of a new contract.
