The uncertain future of Canberra's veteran props has become even more clouded after the Raiders signed Burleigh Bears prop Luke Page until the end of next season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Page was cut adrift by the Gold Coast at the end of last season, and wants to repay Canberra's faith after admitting he became complacent when named Titans under-20s player of the year in 2011.
The 23-year-old will drive to Canberra next week, and his arrival throws in further doubt whether off-contract prop Tom Learoyd-Lahrs has a future at the club.
Fellow former NSW Origin representative Brett White is also weighing up whether to retire, or continue playing next year.
"To have someone like [Raiders coach] Ricky Stuart wanting me in his squad, it's unbelievable,'' Page, yet to make his NRL debut, said.
"I want to make the most of this opportunity, and show them what I've got.
"When I got under-20s player of the year I thought it was going to be fairly easy, I relaxed a bit and I don't plan on making the same mistake again.''
Meanwhile, shutting down mercurial New Zealand Warriors playmaker Shaun Johnson looms as the key to the Raiders returning from Saturday's trip to Auckland with the two vital competition points.
Two weeks ago, it was the majestic play of Manly superstar Daly Cherry-Evans that brought the Raiders crashing back to earth.
But this time they have to contain another talented halfback from the other side of the Tasman if they want any chance of resurrecting their NRL season.
Johnson's form has mirrored that of the Warriors this season - hot one week and ice cold the next.
He was at his brilliant best during their Anzac Day upset of the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park and carried that form into last week's Test match as the Kiwis pushed the star-studded Kangaroos side all the way before going down 30-18.
Along with stopping their ball-playing forwards from building momentum, Raiders coach Ricky Stuart identified Johnson and English custodian Sam Tomkins as the two men his side would need to contain.
"Tomkins and Johnson give them so much ammunition and a lot of strike," Stuart said.
"They're such a very powerful, big, strong footy team.
"I see them getting better and better.
"They got off to a really slow start, like a lot of teams, and they're improving.
"I rate them as a footy team and it's going to be a very difficult game for us.
The Warriors and the Raiders have identical 3-5 win-loss records and are sitting 13th and 14th on the ladder respectively.
The Raiders had no answer to the Sea Eagles' onslaught, trailing 42-4 at halftime in one of the most lop-sided 40 minutes of football seen in the NRL for some time.
Cherry-Evans orchestrated Manly's attack with precision and showed why he's been touted as a challenger to Cooper Cronk for the Queensland No. 7 jersey.
Raiders players who weren't on representative duty were forced to watch the video from that game.
"We were all disappointed with the result, but we're over that now and we've got to move on to the next game," Stuart said. "There's been a number of key messages centered around performance.
"We've been quite consistent with our performances before the Manly game, not to say we won every game, but we were in every game. But that one got away on us.
"It's a good one to put behind us as we did last week.
Raiders forward Joel Edwards admitted having an extra week off after the Manly massacre wasn't ideal.
"We would have preferred to have played straight away; you don't want to have two weeks off after that sort of loss," Edwards said. "Everyone's still hurting from the Manly game and we will use it as motivation.
"Everyone's got to lift to make sure that sort of performance doesn't happen again."
