Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has suffered another setback in his hunt to bolster his club’s playmaker stocks, with rising halfback Keahn Skipps reportedly leaving the club to link up with the Penrith Panthers.
This follows the announcement that Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty, who has been with the club for four years, will leave at the end of the season to join the Manly Sea Eagles on a three-year deal starting in 2026.
The 19-year-old, who captained the Raiders’ Under-21 Jersey Flegg team and was seen as a promising future talent for the club, is reported by The Daily Telegraph to have left the nation’s capital after repeatedly seeking a release due to homesickness.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart had expected the young playmaker to sign with a Queensland club, given his desire to return closer to his Gold Coast roots.
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However, rather than heading back to Queensland, Skipps is reportedly set to ink a three-year deal with the Panthers, keeping him with the four-time premiers until the end of 2028.
According to The Daily Telegraph, when Skipps’ manager, Matt Parata, initially requested a release on compassionate grounds, Stuart declined and instead sought the support of legendary North Queensland Cowboys halfback Johnathan Thurston.
Having coached Thurston in his early years with the Bulldogs’ under-20s, Stuart hoped Thurston’s personal experience overcoming homesickness after moving away from Queensland would encourage Skipps to stay in Canberra.
However, as the season progressed, Parata continued to push for Skipps’ release, ultimately leading the Raiders to relent and allow him to depart.