After a challenging year in 2022 that saw him injure his ACL, Harley Smith-Shields will stick around with the Canberra Raiders a little longer.
Smith-Shields, who has nine NRL games to his name so far, has re-signed with the Raiders until the 2024 season.
Smith-Shields was awarded the club’s Rookie of the Year award in 2021 and is grateful for the opportunity to stay in the nation’s capital.
“First of all, I want to thank the club for their support, especially over the last twelve months and in particular Ricky,” Smith-Shields said.
“He’s been fantastic for me and reassuring me of my position in the squad.
“It’s been a tough year for me; however, I’m looking forward to putting all that behind me and focusing on playing some footy again this season.”
A local Canberra junior, Raiders recruitment manager Joel Carbone knows that keeping your local talents around is a crucial aspect for any club.
“Having a local junior like Harley re-sign with the club is super important and highlights our commitment as a club to developing players and keeping them at the club,” Carbone said.
“Harley has been working extremely hard to get himself back onto the field after his injury last season and we’re looking forward to seeing him continue his development at the Raiders.”