Coach Brock Shepperd of the Canberra Raiders for The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup thinks the “Green Machine” may be about to emulate the Penrith Panthers’ successful run.
After the Raiders NSW Cup team placed fourth in 2023, Shepperd assumed leadership of the team for 2024. The Jersey Flegg Cup team placed seventh, the UNE SG Ball Cup team was a minor premier, and the UNE Harold Matthews Cup team placed fifth.
Shepperd, who began his career at Penrith as a coach in the pathways system, believes that a comparable youth movement is already taking place in the country’s capital.
“I worked for the Panthers for ten years, and during that time, I was involved with the Under 20s team as an assistant coach for the Holden Cup, alongside players like Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Dylan Edwards, Moses Leota, James Fisher-Harris, and others,” he said to nswrl.com.au.
“It’s quite similar to what’s going on here in Canberra right now, with some good, young kids coming on and pathways teams working really hard.”
