The attacking upside of Canberra Raiders outside back Sione Finau is evident.
In his limited NRL time with the St George Illawarra Dragons, he showed that his finishing ability and speed can match the best in the league. However, he believes there's still work to be done if he's to be a consistent first-grader.
Speaking to Zero Tackle, Finau shared what he is hellbent on improving as he looks to crack into the Canberra's NRL side.
“My defence,” he said when asked what he's been working on the most in his first Raiders pre-season.
“I believe defence does win games, and as a winger, you gotta be good on both ends… that's one focus for me this year.”
Tying in with his desire to shore up his defensive skills, Finau admitted his main goal in 2026 is to win a full-time role in first-grade.
“One of my goals is to play consistent NRL, not playing in and out of reserve grade,” Finau shared.
Ricky Stuart has also challenged him to earn either the wing or centre spot in this side, with Finau revealing what the mastermind head coach asked of him when first arriving to training camp.
“My first week, one thing [Stuart] said was that we're going to level up from last year,” Finau recalled.
“[He said to] leave last year in the past, we're gonna step to another level and set high expectations.”
The 23-year-old was motivated from week one of preseason, admitting Stuart's word had “a big impact” on how he approached his training.
When asked what every Raiders fan should expect from him in 2026, Finau said that Canberra faithful will see that he's “stepped up another level” as he looks to shine in his new side.
