Sandor Earl earns new Canberra deal

James Gordon

Canberra Raiders have re-signed centre Sandor Earl for two more seasons until the end of 2014.

Earl, 23, arrived at the Raiders from Penrith midway through last season, and helped lead them in to the play-offs.

He said: “This deal caps off what has been a great year for me and I’m really excited about being able to sign for two more years. It’s another test for me and I’m already looking forward to pre-season and getting ready for what I know will be a big year for the Raiders.

“It’s scary to think what we can do as a group with a full pre-season together and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve next year,. We’ve got a really strong team right across the park and the edge I play on has some very talented players like Josh McCrone, Josh Papalii and Blake Ferguson so I know I’m always going to be a chance to be in the action.”

Earl boasts a 75% win record since arriving at the club, winning nine out of 12 games.

Raiders CEO Don Furner added: “Sandor has been fantastic for us since arriving mid-year. His form has warranted another two year deal and we look forward to seeing him get better and better.

“I think Sandor was a bit surprised by how welcoming the Canberra community has been towards him and he’s a great case to show other players from outside the region what Canberra has to offer as a place to live and play footy.” 

Earl, who started his NRL career with Sydney Roosters in 2009, played 16 games for the Panthers in two and a half seasons before his move to Canberra.

He has scored eight tries in his 12 appearances for the Green Machine, taking his total tally in the NRL to 14 tries in 31 games.