New Raiders signing Jayden Brailey is aiming to help make the team “one percent better” as the side look to build on their 2025 campaign.
Crowned the minor premiers with their strong performances through the regular season, the Raiders were unable to convert their ladder position into finals wins, going out in straight sets to close out their year.
The home side went down in an instant finals classic to the Broncos in the opening week before their second week loss to the Sharks left them to ponder what might have been.
For former Knight Brailey however the opportunity to develop alongside the team, including some of the best players in the world like captain Joseph Tapine, was appealing.
“Change is always good. I've been in two other clubs, and I feel like I can take the good parts out of both experiences and bring that here,” the hooker said.
“I'm really looking forward to buying into the Canberra culture, the Raiders culture, and just embracing the town and everything that this place has to offer.
“Looking from afar, obviously the middle pack, I'm really looking forward to working with those guys.
“I've been on the other side of it, throughout the last few years, and they're not fun to come up against.
“It's going to be nice to be playing off the back of those big boys.
Matthew Timoko's 2025 try-scoring season
“I know Hosko [Zac Hosking] really well as well, so looking forward to meeting everyone.
“Looking from afar, (Canberra’s 2025 run to the finals) was so good to watch.
“I was just in awe of how well the team played and coming up against them, they were very powerful and very tough to stop.
“I'm looking forward to slotting there; I'm really looking forward to adding to the team.
“I'm not coming down here to change anything by any means.
“I just want to bring my own flavour, be myself and bring the best out of myself because if I do those things and if I can make the team one percent better, then who knows where we'll end up, going off this year.
“So just really excited.”
With many of the senior players like Tapine, Josh Papalii and Hudson Young still to return following their international commitments, Brailey is one of the more experienced players on the training paddock with more than 150 NRL games to his name, despite being a new face.
“(Training with the new faces has) been really good … at the moment, obviously there's still more senior boys that are still to return to training, and I feel like the veteran at the moment,” Brailey said.
“I think I've got at least five years on everyone, but it's been good.
“I guess I can take on that leadership role a little bit and use my voice and get the legs ticking over as well a little bit earlier before everyone else, so it's been really good."
