Ethan Strange attempting to break through the Tigers’ defence in January. Photo: Jaye Grieshaber.
Early in his career, Ricky Stuart learned from the master when it comes to protecting young players from the pressure and expectation that comes with the public glare of the NRL.
I witnessed it firsthand when Tim Sheens did his best to play down expectations when it came to Stuart, Bradley Clyde and Laurie Daley as they entered first grade as young players, even though they were destined for greatness.
Remember, of course, that this was before the concept of media managers in rugby league clubs had become a reality.
As well as coaching, Sheens took on the task of limiting the hype around his rising stars.
There has long been a theory that young players can go off course when they see their names in the paper and are touted as stars.
It was easier to stem the hype in the 1980s and early 1990s when media coverage was not as intensive. Only a couple of games a week were televised in the days before Fox Sports, the internet and smartphones.
Although journalists and professional commentators appear somewhat reluctant to put superstar labels on young players, commercial interests can push the envelope. The label of ‘star’ can stand out and draw attention when a young player shows promise.
The commercial interests are perhaps behind the ‘expert commentators’ who tend to be ex-players, and player managers who have an interest in pushing up the price of their players. These groups tend to forecast future stars of the game. The dollar is part of the game and the development of young players is scrutinised more than ever.
Despite this, some young players stand out amongst the crowd, and coaches are mindful of the impact of added attention.
The Ethan Strange trajectory has been pretty much for all to see after he made his first-grade debut in 2023, after starting the season in Jersey Flegg. The same year, he was named player of the match in the Under-19 Origin.
Ethan Strange is one of a number of younger stand-out players for the Raiders. He crossed the line three times against Manly in an impressive performance on the weekend. Photo: Jaye Grieshaber.
Given this background, Ricky Stuart would have thought long and hard before launching into his praise of a 20-year-old who has only played 43 first-grade games.
But after Strange crossed for three tries against Manly on Friday night, the levee bank had broken with Stuart predicting his young playmaker will play for the Kangaroos this year and play Origin in the next couple of years.
“He’s got qualities of a representative player already as a young person. I don’t say that outlandishly. For a young player like Ethan to be able to give off energy to his teammates, it’s similar to what Laurie Daley did when he was a young player. I know I’m talking about big shoes to fill, and ‘are you putting too much pressure on Ethan?’ Well, bad luck, handle it.
“If you’re ever going to make it in this game, you have to handle pressure, and he will.”
The comparison with Daley is immense, given the impact he had not only on the Raiders but on the game itself.
Daley loved taking the line on and relished contact in defence. Strange has those qualities in spades.
Against the Sea Eagles, he recorded 113 running metres, the third time this season he has run over 100 metres with the ball.
His tackle efficiency is an impressive 87.4 per cent this season.
The Raiders are obviously looking to develop his kicking game. Against Manly, he made 121 kicking metres.
This is still some way short of Jamal Fogarty’s 458 kicking metres against the Sea Eagles, but with Fogarty heading out of Canberra at the end of the season, Strange will be called upon to do more kicking in general play in 2026.
As the Raiders surge towards the finals this season, it’s a wise decision to give Strange more responsibility to kick in general play as it provides an alternative to Fogarty on the other side of the ruck.
There has been no indication whatsoever that he has been affected by the hype. To the contrary, you would need to search far and wide to find a more balanced 20-year-old who has been thrust into the limelight.
