Danny Levi got off to a slow start at the Brisbane Broncos, but the way he finished his one season with them has Steve Walters confident he's capable of filling the big hole left in Canberra by the departure of Josh Hodgson.
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Levi joined the Broncos part way through the 2021 NRL season, where he worked with Walters - under his brother and Brisbane coach Kevin Walters.
He only played nine games for them - playing four in the opening 10 rounds before getting back into the side for the final five games.
The 27-year-old then joined Huddersfield in the English Super League.
Walters said Levi finished the season strongly with the Broncos before taking that form to Huddersfield with him.
He was meant to be in the north of England for two years, but has returned Down Under to be closer to family.
How quickly he's able to click with a Raiders pack that will be without enforcer Josh Papali'i (calf) for at least the opening two rounds will be crucial in their chances of starting the season well.
The Raiders also have to deal with the loss of fullback Xavier Savage (jaw) for up to six games.
Both Papali'i and Savage travelled with the Raiders team to Townsville on Thursday to continue their rehabilitation.
Walters felt the Green Machine, where he was the No.9 for their three premierships, were set to benefit from Levi's form.
"He got off to a slow start with us when he was at the Broncos, but he finished off the season quite strong," he said.
"He's certainly capable. Things have got to go your way.
"I gather he's had a good season in England and he finished off the season strong for us.
"I remember that he already had a deal to go to England, but the last month or five weeks in particular he played really well."
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Walters said Levi would bring a different skill set to Canberra than Hodgson, who has joined Parramatta as Reed Mahoney's replacement.
Not as "crafty" as Hodgson, he said Levi was more of a "zippy" runner out of dummy half.
He's joined the Raiders to re-establish himself in the NRL, where he's played 112 games for Manly, Newcastle and the Broncos.
Levi's also played four Tests for New Zealand and another five for Samoa, where he was part of their run to last year's World Cup final.
He's come straight in to stake his claim for the No.9 jersey ahead of incumbents Tom Starling and Zac Woolford, with Starling named on the bench for the season opener against the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday.
Starling's got 63 NRL games under his belt, while Woolford has 17.
Walters said Levi would also bring some experience to help develop the younger Raiders rakes.
"He should be handy for them because it's a big loss with Hodgson moving on, who has been a great servant for them," Walters said.
"He's certainly capable, Danny, there's no doubt about that.
"He's quite a resilient little fellow and he's tough. He's very busy. He's got lots of energy and he certainly gets involved in the game.
"He's sharp out of dummy half too, one of those sort of players.
"Not as crafty as Josh Hodgson, but he's more of a runner. A good defender, can punch out some minutes and he's pretty zippy out of dummy half."
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David Polkinghorne
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
