Sam Williams looked destined for the NRL scrapheap, but Raiders recruitment boss David Hamilton was convinced the halfback who'd been squeezed out of clubs not once, but twice, "could be our coach on the field".

He's been proven right, but it provides a welcome dilemma for Canberra coach Ricky Stuart next year when Gold Coast Titans recruit Aidan Sezer arrives.

Two's company, three's a crowd. It's a great dilemma for any football team to have, but someone in this halves triangle will be unlucky.

Williams is on a modest contract in his second crack with the Raiders, but has been brilliant since replacing Mitch Cornish in first grade in round five.

Canberra has won five of the seven games he's featured in this year, and in last week's win at Newcastle he delivered four try assists.

His halves partner, former Wests Tigers Blake Austin, has been lauded as the buy of the year after several dynamic displays which prompted call for him to be thrown into State of Origin.

Williams was released by the Raiders to join St George Illawarra in 2014, but had four forgettable games in the Red V before he was shipped off to Super League's Catalans Dragons.

With Terry Campese released and Josh McCrone moving to hooker, the Raiders desperately needed halves depth. Before his form explosion this year, Wests Tigers recruit Blake Austin had played only a handful of games at five-eighth, and Cornish was still learning the ropes.

Hamilton has had a huge opinion of Williams ever since he spotted him as a teenager at Cooma Stallions.

Williams returned to the Raiders on a meagre deal, almost certainly the smallest of any starting halfback in the NRL.

All the 24-year-old was a chance to prove he shouldn't be spat out of the system, and he's delivered.

"Nobody wanted Sammy Williams, he got brushed out of the NRL, and that comes back to the ability of David Hamilton," Stuart said.

"He has a wonderful rap on Sammy Williams and everything he told me about him, Sammy Williams is providing."

After destroying the Knights, Williams said "I don't want to be seen as depth" next year, and is doing everything he can to make Stuart's decision a tough one.

Stuart has shown the size of a player's pay packet means little at the selection table. Ask Terry Campese, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs or David Shillington.

Former Raiders assistant and NSW Origin halfback Brett Kimmorley fears the Raiders could be in danger of losing Williams if he is guaranteed a starting spot elsewhere, despite being contracted next season.

Sezer takes on the line a lot more than Williams and both have great kicking games, but Williams has laid on more try assists in fewer games this year.

Canberra is confident he will honour his contract regardless, as a sign of gratitude for helping revive his career.

"I don't know what they're going to do with him, obviously Blake and Aidan you would think would be on reasonable money," Kimmorley said.

"But now Sam's shown he can play first grade, he's not going to say 'I'll be fine playing seconds next year, or 20 minutes off the bench'.

"There's clubs looking for halfbacks and two of them are desperate to pay good money.

"Maybe they [Canberra] bought Aidan ahead of time, maybe they thought they needed to buy someone when Mitch was struggling, but Sam has proven what they've been looking for may have been right under their nose."

Kimmorley believes the quicker ruck speeds has allowed Williams, a thinking man's footballer, to ensure his latest NRL chance is third time lucky.

Austin is a run-first, fleet-footed, instinctive player and complements Williams perfectly.

But Stuart said don't be fooled by Austin's medieval beard and lairy haircut.

"He's a lot smarter than he looks, I can tell you," Stuart said.

"We needed a five-eighth and I remember sitting in my car talking to Blake on the phone and he showed interest when I said I had that position position for him

"What I like about Austo is he's very humble and he's a very genuine guy. A family man, he's really handled moving into the community and he's a Raider.

"I think he felt as though he was wanted, and he is."

Sezer has also hit a purple patch for the Titans.

The 24-year-old has been adjudged man of the match in his past two outings, prompting immortal Andrew Johns to anoint him a top-shelf player on Channel Nine's Sunday Footy Show.

"He's risen to that elite level now, he's one of the elite players in our game," Johns said.

"He looks in total control and takes the right options, I see him a truly elite."

Former Raider Gary Belcher awarded Sezer three Dally M votes despite being on the losing side in Gold Coast's loss to Souths a fortnight ago.

"He's a gun player. He has really good control, a good kicking game, a solid defender and is happy to have a go at the line," Belcher said.

"I think he'll be a really good foil for Blake Austin. You need someone that likes controlling the tempo and the game plan a bit, and let Blake play a bit free and easy.

"They'll need some competition there. He looks like he's pretty level-headed."

Sometimes three is a crowd. But it's a welcome headache the Raiders haven't enjoyed for many years.