Raiders season preview:
The Raiders will have enough experience on paper to match it with rival clubs for their first season in the NRL Telstra Women's Premiership but like any side first up they'll need to gel quickly.
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A total of 12 players arrive to the nation's capital having played in the NRLW previously while Raiders coach Darrin Borthwick was also able to recruit high-profile stars with international experience to add to the inaugural squad.
The Green Machine are not expected to blow the competition away and win a premiership in their first year but with the squad built it sets up a great platform to work with for years to come while surprising a few people along the way.
Biggest strength
The side have recruited some experience in key positions from fullback right through to their forward pack.
Kiwi Ferns representative Apii Nicholls and Māori All Stars halves Ash Quinlan and Zahara Temara have been around a long time while the side's starting forward pack boasts representative experience at either the Origin or international level.
They've also got strong finishes in Madison Bartlett, who has 11 tries in 16 NRLW appearances, and Shakiah Tungai, who returned to rugby league last year via the Broncos.
Borthwick has picked up some underrated purchases and project players who have their best footy in front of them to complement that experience - the likes of Monalisa Soliola, England star Hollie-Mae Dodd and Ahlivia Ingram.
Biggest question mark
There's a lot of growth to work with but how well a team can gel throughout their first season will be key for the Raiders.
They probably lack 1-2 more players with the star factor that other sides have, and don't have a lot of depth outside their starting 13 with many cross-code converts coming on board.
You get the feeling it's going to be a bit of a slow burn for the Raiders - as we've seen with new clubs in the NRLW before - but with a longer nine-week competition in 2023 it gives them plenty of time to work on that.
