The quality forward stocks continue to grow for the Canberra Raiders with Trey Mooney being one of the future stars climbing the ranks in the ACT.
The Cabramatta product headed to the Raiders as a teenager where he made an immediate impact as a hard-running lock forward, but this season saw Mooney stamp his credentials as the next breakout name for the Green Machine.
With leadership attributes to match - according to those in the know at Canberra – Mooney was immediately elevated to captain for the Raiders’ UNE SG Ball Cup side when he joined them in 2020.
He helped Canberra to a memorable Grand Final win in 2021 with a performance that saw him named Player of the Match. Playing lock, he came up with 164 metres from 17 runs, 75 post-contact metres, four tackle busts and 31 tackles with only one missed.
On the representative front, the 20-year-old has excelled in the junior grades, playing for his state in Under 16s (2018), Under 18s (2019) and Under 19s (2022).
Add to that a 2019 Australian Schoolboys selection and Mooney has covered just about every base on his path all the way to his NRL debut in 2022, resulting in a victory over the Sydney Roosters at GIO Stadium in Round 13.
Mooney was handed the captain’s armband for the NSW Under 19s Origin match in June at Leichhardt Oval and led from the front for the impressive 32-4 win over Queensland.
He graduated to the Raiders’ second row for The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup side, making 16 appearances – 10 more than 2021 – with five tries, 46 tackle busts, 18 offloads and 446 tackles (27 per game).
With fellow lock forwards Ryan Sutton and Adam Elliott departing Canberra next season, Mooney is poised to spend a lot more time in the No.13 jumper.
