It's the news Canberra Raiders fans have been waiting for — both star hooker Josh Hodgson and five-eighth Blake Austin will play in their must-win semi-final against the Penrith Panthers at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.
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The Raiders released a statement on Friday afternoon saying both Hodgson's ankle and Austin's hand had been given the all-clear to face the Panthers.
It bucked the injury trend for the Raiders, after prop Clay Priest broke his ankle at training on Wednesday night and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Veteran Jeff Lima and Paul Vaughan both trained with the squad on Friday, but Vaughan appeared likely to replace Priest.
Stuart hoped the confirmation Austin and Hodgson were playing would ensure a similar atmosphere at Canberra Stadium to last week's sellout.
"I'm very happy for both the players because it's the best time of the season to be playing and they've been a big part of the team for a majority of the season, so I'm really happy they're both available to play at an exciting time of year," he said.
"What that [atmosphere] did for the team last week — the Viking clap and the noise — what it did for our players was just unbelievable. It's the greatest atmosphere I've been involved in in a game of football since I've coached or played.
"Now having Josh and Blake available to play I think we're a chance to get a sellout crowd and get it on again."
Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said their inclusion made the Raiders "very dangerous".
The Panthers come into the do-or-die final on the back of a six-game winning streak, while the Raiders have won 10 of their last 11.
"The hooker is probably their main playmaker, the brains of the operation there. They really missed him when he wasn't there, you saw last week in the last 30 minutes [against the Sharks]," Griffin said on Friday.
"Austin's just a great runner of the football. He's a big body and he's hard to contain. He's got great feet, so it makes them very dangerous."
Hodgson has been brilliant this season, playing himself into contention for the Dally M Medal — despite being docked three points for a one-week suspension.
He tore ligaments in his left ankle when his leg tangled with teammate Aidan Sezer in the narrow loss to the Cronulla Sharks last weekend.
It meant the 26-year-old missed most of the second half as the Sharks came from behind to win 16-14.
Initially, Hodgson was ruled out, but he's recovered faster than expected and has now been cleared to start in the biggest game in Canberra since their 2010 semi against Wests Tigers.
The England international surprised even himself, having said he was only a "slim" chance on Tuesday.
"I am a bit surprised, but at the same time excited. The physios have been fantastic and sorted me out straight away once it happened," Hodgson said in the statement.
"I spent three full days in the physio room getting the bruising and swelling sorted out. I'm really grateful and looking forward to the game tomorrow.
"These are the games you want to play. This is why you play rugby league, to play on the big stage in the big games. It's going to be tough, but we are aiming to make it a lot tougher for them."
Austin broke his left hand during training three weeks ago and needed surgery.
He wanted to play last week against the Sharks only for the medical staff to prevent him, but he was expecting to be fit to face the Panthers and he's been cleared to make his NRL finals debut.
NRL SEMI-FINAL
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
Raiders team: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Edrick Lee, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Junior Paulo, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Josh Papalii, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Sia Soliola. Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste, 15. Luke Bateman, 17. Joe Tapine, 18 TBA.
