ENGLISH stars Morgan Smithies and Matty Nicholson were able to celebrate winning the NRL JJ Giltinan Shield for their club Canberra Raiders on Saturday.
The Raiders became the competition’s Minor Premiers with their 24-10 victory against Wests Tigers in front of a sellout crowd of 23,746 at GIO Stadium in the nation’s capital.
Canberra were presented with the Shield by NRL CEO Andrew Abdo, which goes to the club finishing first in the competition during the regular season.
Smithies, formerly of Wigan Warriors, is in his second season with the Raiders, having played in 22 of the club’s 23 NRL games this season, scoring one try.
Nicholson joined the Raiders at the start of the season from Warrington Wolves, scoring two tries on his debut against Brisbane Broncos on March 15 and going on to score five tries in nine appearances before suffering a serious ankle injury against Canterbury Bulldogs on May 10.
In the last two weeks he has returned to action for the Raiders’ NSW Cup side and he will be in contention for a place in the first-grade side for this Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, with Raiders coach Ricky Stuart expected to rest some of his current squad.
Stuart was a member of Canberra’s 1990 Minor Premiership side that went on to win the Grand Final.
He joins his former teammate, Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy, in winning the Giltinan Shield both as a player and coach, although unlike Bellamy he won the double with the same club.
And Stuart was able to share the experience this year with his son Jed, who has cemented his place on the wing in 2025.
The coach praised his side for defying the critics, who had them at long odds to win the competition before the start of the season.
“People don’t know how good our club is,” he told Fox Sports.
“I don’t think the club gets the recognition, and I don’t say that disrespectfully.
“I just don’t think people know how good our club is, people don’t understand.
“They don’t see the little things that we do for the players and the club does for its history.
“There’s no pressure going into the semi-finals, whatever happens now is a bonus.”