The Canberra Raiders have announced Chris Lewis as the newest member of the club's NRL coaching staff ahead of the 2025 season.
Lewis will take over as NSW Cup Coach for season 2025, with Brock Shepperd moving into the NRL coaching team alongside Mick Crawley and Justin Giteau. Lewis will also work with the NRL squad and players in his new full-time role.
It’s an exciting new challenge for Lewis, who only retired from professional rugby league at the end of the 2024 season, after five years and 45 matches for the Melbourne Storm.
Lewis said the quick transition from player to coach was exciting and he’s ready to work hard alongside the players and coaches at the Raiders by bringing his own experiences to the role.
“I only finished playing a couple of months ago, but I’m really enjoying the change into coaching,” Lewis said “I feel like I have the ability to still understand what it’s like from a players perspective, and I can share some of my knowledge and help bring some young players along.
“I’ve spent time playing in both reserve grade and first grade so I’ve had a taste of it both ways and I can share that experience with the young players.”
Lewis said his pathway to the new role was made easier through his discussions with Head Coach Ricky Stuart and what he wanted him to bring to the Raiders.
“Ricky reached out to me, and we had a conversation about what my plans were, and we had a chat about coaching and footy in general,” Lewis said. “We then had another conversation again soon after where he told me about the role and what he was looking for. Then I came down to Canberra to have a look at the facility and we went from there.”
Lewis said he’ll use his own experiences from his playing career and had already established some great working relationships with the club's coaching staff and players.
“I know what works. I’ve been in a good system, I know what I wanted as a player and I know what I want from a Coach,” he said. “I’ve played under some good coaches and some not so good coaches, and I think I can bring the good qualities to the way I approach things.”
“Ricky and all the assistant coaches have been great so far and have taken me under their wing and show me the way things are done here which has been a huge help. Obviously when we get closer to the season I’ll have Shep (Brock Shepperd) here to help me prepare for the Cup season and get a good understanding of it all.”
“It's been great to be here for the start of the pre-season and get to know all of the players and learn about them as we prepare for the season ahead.”
“I’m hoping the players see me as someone they can come and talk to who has been in their shoes and someone they can trust. I want to help improve them as footballers but also as people too.”
