Jayden Brailey set for early Raiders exit to link up with Sydney club

Canberra Raiders dummy half and middle forward Jayden Brailey is set to shift to the Wests Tigers at the start of 2027.

The versatile forward joined the Raiders at the start of this year on a two-year deal, but hasn't found a permanent spot in his preferred dummy half position in Ricky Stuart's set up.

Instead, he has been forced to battle for minutes against rising star Owen Pattie and veteran Tom Starling, who himself has lost minutes to the young gun.

Brailey has instead spent time at lock forward, where his ball playing has been important for Canberra at times this year.

But Brailey, who was born in the Sydney area, is chasing a return to the city according to an ESPN report, and it's believed Canberra will facilitate his early release, despite having the 30-year-old English eligible player contracted through to the end of 2027.

It's understood the deal for him to shift to the struggling Tigers will run for two years, with Brailey likely to play second or even third fiddle at dummy half as he does in Canberra.

Instead, he would likely be used in a roaming lock forward role alongside Alex Twal, who has become one of the game's most consistent middle forwards this year.

Brailey would add suitable experience at dummy half, but given Apisai Koroisau is locked in to go around again, and the Tigers also have young guns Jared Haywood and Josese Lanyon in their system, it's unlikely he would spend much time in that role for coach Marshall.

Haywood and Lanyon have both debuted in recent weeks, with most club insiders expecting Haywood to be the future of their number nine jumper once club co-captain Koroisau hangs up the boots.

Before joining the Raiders, Brailey, who is the older brother of Cronulla Sharks and NSW Blues player Blayke, spent a frustrating stint at the Newcastle Knights.

Injuries constantly hampered his progress in the Hunter, with the Knights getting just 85 games out of what was seen in 2019 as a marquee recruit between 2020 and 2025.

He has had a better run in recent seasons, managing 47 of those Knights games in the final two years, while he has played 16 for the Raiders this year.