Jayden Brailey has agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the Canberra Raiders and will now leave Newcastle at the end of the season as he looks for a seachange that may revitalise his NRL career.
Brailey has been speaking to the Raiders for several weeks now, and The Sporting Base understands the North Queensland Cowboys and Manly Sea Eagles were also interested for a time.
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The 28-year-old Knight met with Ricky Stuart earlier this week and signed on the dotted line.
Also key, the soon-to-be Raider passed his club medical with flying colours.
The former Newcastle skipper has fallen out of favour in the Hunter mostly due to his injury history; he joined the Knights in 2020 but has played just 63 games in that time. Many have been off the bench as he shares roles with Phoenix Crossland, who has now in 2025 claimed the number nine rake jumper in the starting thirteen completely.
Adam O’Brien and Newcastle’s powerbrokers decided they were happy with Crossland as the team hooker for the time being and told Brailey he could find another opportunity elsewhere in the NRL beyond his current deal.
He’ll still be used in a dual role with Crossland through ’25, The Sporting Base understands, with O’Brien seemingly planning to have Crossland swap to a lock role once Brailey joins the action. That has played out in both rounds so far, including the Knights’ tight two-point win over the Tigers and the flogging they gave the Dolphins yesterday.
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This signing may lead to current Raiders duo Tom Starling and Danny Levi hitting free agency. Neither dummy-half has truly lit the world on fire in the nation’s capital in the opportunities they’ve been given.
