Canberra Raiders star Blake Austin will lead the Green Machine's squad at the Auckland Nines next weekend, with the club giving the playmaker a chance to mentor a young generation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Austin will be the marquee man in the Raiders' 18-strong squad for the pre-season tournament which doubles as a chance for Canberra to cast their eye over future talent.
Austin's game time will likely be managed as the club focuses on its round-one fixture against the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville on March 4.
The timing of the Nines creates a delicate juggling act for coaches, including Ricky Stuart, with some players nursing injury and others only just returning from international duties.
The Raiders have been managing player workloads at pre-season training and the club has one trial against the Newcastle Knights before the NRL campaign begins.
It means the Raiders will likely turn to some untested talent for the Nines and it's understood young gun Nick Cotric and former New Zealand rugby prodigy Paul Roach will be included in the squad.
Cotric is regarded as a star of the future and has signed a full-time contract despite being just 18 years old.
The junior Australian representative will still be eligible to play in the under-20s competition but the Raiders believe he's got the talent to make the leap into first grade.
Roach was plucked from the New Zealand system to join Cotric in the under-20s and his commitment to Canberra is set to be rewarded with a chance to play on the big stage in Auckland.
The Raiders will unveil their full Nines contingent at a members event at the club's headquarters on Friday afternoon.
Raiders skipper Jarrod Croker is working his way back into training after post-season knee surgery while Josh Papalii is also recovering from an ankle operation.
Shannon Boyd, Josh Hodgson, Elliott Whitehead, Jordan Ralana and Joe Tapine have only been training for two weeks after their international duties at the end of last year.
Several other Raiders have niggling problems but should be fit in time to play in the trial against Newcastle at Queanbeyan on February 18.
Each club must send a predetermined number of NRL players to the Nines, but the timing of the tournament forces coaches to juggle injury risk with preparation for the regular season.
Austin is a NSW State of Origin prospect this year and his presence will give Canberra's younger players a major boost as they get a taste of the NRL environment.
The Raiders are in the same pool as the Cowboys, the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Superstar Johnathan Thurston will play for the Cowboys as they aim to become the first team to win two Nines titles, giving the Raiders a chance to test the representative playmaker before the teams clash in the first round of the season.
