Why the Raiders' Top Try Scorer in 2022 Could Be a surprising name

The Canberra Raiders have already identified the player they want to become their top try-scorer in 2022 - and it's not the man currently sitting atop the leaderboard in that category. Nick Cotric only made his NRL debut last year but has continued to grow as one of the NRL's most devastating outside backs, scoring 15 tries in his 22 appearances so far. But if you ask Raiders recruitment officer Peter Mulholland, it's the man currently sitting on Cotric's left shoulder who will replace Joey Leilua as the club's premier outside back in five years time - Nathan Walker.

Who could be the surprise player?

The player to watch for here is winger Jordan Rapana. It may be unfair to call him a surprise, since he's already been with us for six seasons now and even made his test debut back in 2012 (when he was still playing for Wigan). He has moved around between several NRL clubs but has settled nicely into life at Canberra. With club stalwart Blake Ferguson out of favour, Rapana is well-placed to become leader of Canberra's outside backs and establish himself as an Origin contender. Given he will also turn 27 by then, it won't be too late either. He has some amazing speed, but what we've seen so far is only just scratching his potential - expect more tries in 2018 (not just off his shoulders) and more by 2022.

Players who have been close

Fijian winger Marika Koroibete already has a couple of tries for his new club, so he’s likely to be one of their main men. Plus, exciting talent Jack Goodsell was labelled as one to watch last season and is still eligible for 2022, having been born on December 29. They’ve also nabbed Kiwi flyer David Fusitu'a from New Zealand Warriors – he had seven tries last year and scored twice in a single game against Canterbury-Bankstown. He could be an outside bet.

A look at other clubs

NRL clubs have been consistent with their top try-scorers over time. The Eels have provided most of Parramatta’s top tryscorers over the years; others such as St George Illawarra and Brisbane are known for producing many of their own. At present, there is no ‘home grown’ tryscorer at Canberra or North Queensland, though players like Elliott Whitehead and Kyle Feldt still hold their respective club records for most tries scored since 2010 (Whitehead 25 tries for Canberra & Feldt 27 for North Queensland). It is likely that future club record holders will come from a very different background than what has been seen previously – but at present there is still a lack of diversity amongst top try-scorers across all teams.