With a raft of stars coming out of contract at the end of 2022, big deals are set to come through from rivals looking to attract gun free agents to their club.
Players with one year remaining on their contract are free to talk to rivals from November 1 this year, and Canberra great Gary Belcher believes one future free agent should be at the top of the list for his former club.
While the 2023 out of contract crop includes Latrell Mitchell, Brandon Smith, Cameron Munster and Clint Gutherson among others, Belcher believes Sydney’s Joey Manu would be the right fit for the Raiders.
He explained why the 25-year-old would be his main target on Sportsday.
“They (Canberra) are pretty strong up front, and in the hooking role they’re very good,” Belcher said.
“They could use with some back up or another halfback, but there isn’t a load of those coming onto the market, I believe Dylan Brown is a five-eighth.
“Could they fit Munster and Jack Wighton into the same team? That’s very debatable.
“They’ve already got some very good fullbacks when you look at (Charnze) Nicoll-Klokstad, Bailey Simonsson and young Xavier Savage coming through there.
“So, it’s probably going to be an outside back like Joey Manu. He’s going great the moment.”
While Manu would be Belcher’s first choice, he hopes the Raiders reach out to Storm hooker Brandon Smith.
“I also think every single club would find a role for Brandon Smith,” Belcher explained.
“I know he wants to play mostly hooker, but he’s a winner in the middle of the field.
“He’s defensively outstanding too. He’d be very high on my list after Joey Manu.”