'I'll put my best foot forward': Henderson trains with Raiders' NRL squad

The 20-year-old did that prior to returning to his family's Dungowan property for Christmas, and hopes to resume that association upon arriving back in Canberra.

"I'm pretty sure I will be," he said of continuing pre-season training with the squad after the break. "But I haven't heard any confirmation on that yet."

The halfback joined the Raiders from Newcastle last season - making his debut in a round 17 Jersey Flegg win over the Roosters.

He had been at the Knights since graduating from Farrer in 2021, and trained with their NRL squad for back-to-back pre-seasons ahead of the past two seasons.

Henderson hopes to get more opportunities at Canberra than he did at Newcastle, with NSW Cup action in his sights for 2024.

He made one NSW Cup appearance for Canberra last season, playing a full game at halfback in a 24-20 defeat of St George-Illawarra at Win Stadium in Wollongong.

He was then named the reserve for the Raiders' two NSW Cup finals matches, but was not used.

Henderson is still eligible to play Jersey Flegg in 2024. However, he said: "I'd like to play a few more Cup games." He added: "I'll put my best foot forward, and see where it takes me."

When Henderson made his Jersey Flegg debut for Canberra, they were in last place.

But with him steering the side, they finished the season in seventh place - winning six of the eight games he took part in.

"I'm loving it down there," he said, adding that the Raiders were "really good, down to earth people".

"I'm definitely enjoying my time [there]. They've welcomed me really well."

Henderson has been joined at the Raiders by his 18-year-old brother, Charlie, who linked with the club after recently graduating from Farrer. He is training with the club's SG Ball squad.

Henderson said it was "nice" to have his younger brother at the club. "It makes it easier for the parents too: only having one place to go."