EXCLUSIVE: Ethan Strange 'really clicking' with Raiders veteran after 'crazy' rookie season
Ethan Strange and Jamal Fogarty hit the ground running in 2025, with the Canberra halves pairing putting an arduous pre-season to the test on Thursday night in a loss to Cronulla.
The pair spent some time together in Strange's rookie campaign last year, but Fogarty's battles with injury made it difficult for them to form a proper combination.
There appeared to be no signs of jitters for the Raiders duo in their first hit-out of the this year, with Strange scoring an early try while Fogarty pulled the strings against a nearly full-strength Cronulla Sharks outfit at GIO Stadium.
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Ethan Strange celebrates a try against the Sharks. Getty
Both players got through 40 minutes of action before the Green Machine opted to put their stars on ice as they ramp up preparations for Las Vegas - and the team paid the price.
As soon as Strange, Fogarty and Kaeo Weekes were on the bench, things started to fall apart for the Raiders, who ultimately went down 40-10 on their home turf.
It matters little in the grand scheme of things and the main thing for Canberra will be that Strange and the rest of the spine are fighting fit when round one rolls around.
Speaking to Wide World of Sports last month, the 20-year-old was full of confidence about his relationship with Fogarty, who is more than a decade his senior.
"The more footy we play together, the more we know about each other," he said.
"The more time we spend together outside of footy is gonna help us on the field too. It's been good and I feel like our partnership is really clicking at the moment.
Jamal Fogarty. Getty
"I have learned a lot from him actually. He's a great talker out there and definitely picked up for me at the beginning of last year, coming in and being a bit nervous.
"I definitely learned a lot from him in terms of how to communicate and steer a team around and I keep trying to take those things from him."
Despite having only played 93 games in the top grade, Fogarty is an experienced campaigner and excellent communicator who knows his game inside and out.
It's a different story for Strange, who was thrust into full-time NRL footy last year as a teenager and never looked back, earning high praise from plenty within the game.
While on the surface Strange was dominating on the field, the five-eighth conceded some of the rigours of week-to-week first grade did weigh on him.
"The main thing I struggled with is that it's easy to string a few games together - but when you're playing 27 games in a year and you're travelling and facing bigger bodies, it does take a toll on you," the young gun said.
"Looking after myself outside of footy is definitely a big focus for me.
"Obviously everything happened so quickly and it's all come around again quite quickly, but I had a bit of time to sit and think about how crazy everything that happened was.
"I've been playing footy since we're six years old and this is what I always thought I was gonna do ... but in saying that, it's actually pretty crazy when you get there."
Ethan Strange in action for the Raiders. Getty
While nothing is guaranteed and the likes of Ethan Sanders and Adam Cook will place some level of pressure on Strange, there seems to be faith in the Gosford product.
That faith starts and ends with coach Ricky Stuart, who has backed the youngster, and it's something that isn't lost on Strange as he prepares for season two in the NRL.
"I love the man's passion," he said.
"He's someone you want to play for and he's got a lot of confidence in me, so I always try and carry that with me into games."
Canberra will kick off their campaign in Las Vegas against the Warriors on March 2.
