Ricky’s big praise for ‘best buy’ in the NRL who joined Raiders after GF heartbreak

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart tried not to single out any one player for praise following his side’s thumping win over the Broncos on Saturday night, but when pressed he couldn’t help himself.

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Stuart was asked about his most versatile player, Zac Hosking, who started the game on an edge before shifting to lock and then into the front row.

Hosking, 28, made his debut at the Broncos in 2022 before moving to the Panthers and was devastated to be overlooked for the 2023 grand final.

That off-season the late bloomer signed a three-year deal with the Raiders, inked last January, and Hosking burst out of the blocks at Canberra before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last April.

Hosking has only played 35 NRL games but Stuart believes he’s more than proved he belongs as an NRL starter.

“We haven’t had a bad player in the past two weeks. I don’t want to single out anyone… but for a coach sitting on the sideline, it’s amazing what it does for a football team,” Stuart said.

“Being an edge player then he can move in and play 13 for you then I threw Morgan on there and he moved up and played front row.

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“I’m happy for Zach because his two games over the last two weeks have shown you what we missed last year with him.

“He was one of the best buys in the competition this time last year after about four or five rounds.”

Coming off a huge upset win over the Warriors in Las Vegas, the Raiders, led by reborn forward Corey Horsburgh and underrated hooker Tom Starling, outclassed the star-studded Brisbane team who were a shadow of the side that smashed the Roosters in round one.

The Raiders led from start to finish, scoring six tries to four to win 32-22 in front of a raucous Canberra crowd.

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