Monaghan will replace Josh Dugan who was ruled out yesterday with a shoulder problem as Canberra's last line of defence for the AAMI Park clash.

Dugan suffered the injury in last weekend's 20-13 win over the Cronulla Sharks at Canberra Stadium.

He failed to train all week and did not join the team on its flight to Melbourne.

Dugan's withdrawal forced coach David Furner into an 11th-hour back-line reshuffle.

Monaghan will start at fullback, while Drury Low has been bought into the squad to start on a wing.

Low has played only one NRL match, scoring two tries on debut against the New Zealand Warriors in round eight.

Also joining the Raiders' final 17-man squad was Glen Buttriss, who replaces Danny Galea on the bench.

Sam Mataora, who was originally named as a reserve, will drop back to the under-20s team.

Captain Alan Tongue joined the side on its trip to Melbourne but when Furner was asked if he could categorically rule the injured skipper out from playing, he responded, ''I can 100 per cent guarantee Tonguey is still a week away and won't be playing against Melbourne.''

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times