“It’s nearly like Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley”: Slater’s glowing praise of Raiders rookie halves duo

There were some question marks surrounding Ricky Stuart's scheme to deploy two young halves to start their 2026 campaign in the shape of Ethan Strange and Ethan Sanders.

However, the youngster duo proved they are up to the task, dismantling the Sea Eagles in a Round One thriller at Brookvale.

It saw rookie half Ethan Sanders snatch victory with a field goal in extra time with only five NRL appearances under his belt.

It caught the attention of Storm legend Billy Slater, who spoke on the Billy Slater Podcast, claiming the old-school halves tactics of halfback as first receiver and five-eighth playing off the back of him was reminiscent of the Raiders' best-ever halves duo in the 90s.

"Ethan Sanders is an out-and-out halfback," Slater said.

"I haven't seen much of him play but I was really impressed with him and Ethan Strange is playing like a genuine No.6 and they are playing old-school, traditional roles as a halves partnership.

"It's nearly like Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley."

Slater credited head coach Stuart with the gutsy move to place two young halves together, as history would show it can sometimes become undone due to lack of experience.

The pair showed no signs of such, as the Minor Premiers picked up right where they left off in a successful 2025 campaign.

"I applaud Ricky Stuart on the way that they're playing and the confidence that they have to run this footy team," Slater said.

"So often we just see halves sit on the left or right and they control their area … they don't sort of connect a whole heap, they are very much stuck in their positions."

"Ethan Sanders is the first receiver and Ethan Strange floats around as the second receiver, but that doesn't mean that they can't mix and match it.

"I just think it's a breath of fresh air."

It was a tale of irony as Jamal Fogarty's highly publicised move to the Sea Eagles from the Raiders was brought undone by his apprentice.

Sanders credited Fogarty post-match against the Sea Eagles for all the learnings he gave him during his time under him in the nation's capital, and ultimately brought him and his new team undone.

The Raiders will be looking to make it two on the trot when they travel to Auckland to face a red-hot New Zealand Warriors outfit on Friday.