It's the Canberra Raiders. Yup, deep in the depths of Australia's capital lies a pack of Raiders. They haven't done much raiding of late, yet a reputation steeped in history ensures that their willingness to raid will live on.

I have never really been a fan of Ricky Stuart, like a lot of ya'll reading this and the fact that I'm a kiwi and view Stuart as another whinging Aussie doesn't help matters. Stuart, as the coach, is where I begin my look at the Raiders and what makes them the most interesting team in the NRL to me. Stuart arrived in Canberra after a failed stint in Parramatta (he'd be thankful) with what was effectively a blank canvas, a chance for Stuart to build or rebuild an NRL club from the ground up, with that history in toe.

There aren't many NRL clubs who are in a similar rebuilding mode to the Raiders, which instantly makes the Raiders fairly interesting. On the Gold Coast there's the next best rebuild going on as the Titans try to assemble a cast with a strong tinge of youth to take them into the future. Just like how the Titans missed out on a big fish, a back-flipping fish at that, the Raiders also saw recruitment targets like James Tedesco, Kevin Proctor and Michael Ennis pass on this opportunity. With their talk of securing the services of high profile players, the Raiders quickly became the laughing stock of the league.

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While the rest of the NRL community poked fun at the Raiders, the Green Machine kept on rolling. With a snap of their fingers the Raiders signed Josh Hodgson, Blake Austin, Iosia Soliola and Sisa Waqa; four players who each put their names into the mix for 'Signing of 2015' ... Frank-Paul Nu'uausala also joined the Raiders but didn't quite hit these heights. Before we get any further, think to yourself of another club who signed four players who exceeded expectations like these lads did.

Such was the form of Austin last season that the Raiders now have a little situation: figuring out their halves situation for 2016. Austin and Sam Williams were a highly effective combination with Austin free to roam, running the ball and lurking in support while Williams ran the show. On the back of the four signings above, Aidan Sezer now joins the Raiders and I wouldn't be surprised if you don't know much about Mr Sezer.

Sezer's class is unmistakable with an educated left-boot, crisp passing and a strong frame which makes him a running threat as well as a decent defender. Unmistakable, but the Titans weren't too fun to watch last season and Sezer was often injured, which could provide Sezer with the chance for a certified breakout season.

Sezer could play with either Williams or Austin, in fact any combination would work in the halves for the Raiders. Stuart's a former halfback so he knows what he wants and how he wants the Raiders halves to play, although I don't envy his decision.

The halves conundrum isn't the only complex decision Stuart must make in the backs. Jack Wighton did a decent job at fullback and I'd like to see him get another season in the no.1 jersey. Wighton does feel like a centre though. He's a big, mobile and a skillful lad but the Raiders already have skipper Jarrod Croker and mid-season signing Joey Leilua on the books.

Both Croker and Leilua are starting NRL centres, with Waqa also more than capable of doing a fine job there. Edrick Lee is a promising winger who was a 18th man for Queensland in game three of State of Origin while Jordan Rapana never ceased to impress and would have been a definite Kiwis selection if our wing stocks weren't so healthy.

Five spots up for grabs and Croker is the only lad who is a certainty.

Four spots for Leilua, Waqa, Rapana, Wighton and Lee. Depth is always the key folks.

Coach Stuart doesn't have as many headaches in his forward pack. Soliola and Nu'uausala lead what is largely a young group of forwards while Shaun Fensom has quickly become the glue in the middle for the Raiders. When you consider that the Raiders bid farewell to David Shillington and Dane Tilse there's a bit of a void to fill in terms of experience and how the Raiders' forwards respond in 2016 will be fun to watch.

Paul Vaughan always caught my eye watching the Raiders and I'm sure that we'll see Vaughan establish himself as a consistent rep player. With Shannon Boyd and Josh Papalii offering some youthful enthusiasm, I wouldn't sleep on the Raiders' pack.

Boyd and Papalii are two of the better young forwards in the NRL and they're both developing nicely under Stuart. Boyd played 21 games in 2014, averaging 15.76 tackles, 7.67 hit ups and 66.53 metres a game. In 2015 Boyd played 20 games and averaged 26.20 tackles, 10.20 hit ups and 96 metres a game (Boyd also scored five tries in 2015 compared to one in 2014). I'd be watching out for Boyd if I were you, he's a huge lump of a lad and will be a focal point of this Raiders pack.

Papalii endured a weird 2014 (19 games, three tries, averaging 26.37 tackles, 10.32 hit ups and 89.11 metres a game), juggling game time in the middle and out on the edge. Last season Papalii stayed on the right-edge where he was a consistent performer with his quick feet and immense power causing mayhem for edge defenders. Papalii played 20 games, scored eight tries and averaged 29.25 tackles, 10.58 hit ups and 93.67 metres a game which is a nice little improvement.

Over summer the Raiders will welcome experienced forward Jeff Lima and a few other minor signings like Adam Clydsdale who will bolster their depth. Lima fits the bill in terms of forwards that Stuart has signed as Lima wouldn't have cost the Raiders an arm and a leg, just value for money. Clydsdale's signing is interesting as the Raiders already have Hodgson and Kurt Baptiste on their books.

I'm excited about the Raiders although they showed last season that they still have a long way to go. Ranked third in the most missed tackles and they were the only team in the top-11 to concede more than 500 points over the season which suggests the Raiders had better have 'defence' as their main priority over the summer.

There's still a question mark surrounding the second tier of players in Canberra which will be put in the spotlight if there's a few injuries (in their forward pack especially). While there's plenty of upside with the Raiders, I smell a long-term vibe brewing in Canberra with 2016 offering us an opportunity to truly gauge how long the Raiders will need before they become a consistent presence in the top-8.