Canberra Raiders playmaker Blake Austin is back at training but his NRL finals campaign remains uncertain despite joining the team at training on Thursday.
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Austin was a surprise addition to the Raiders' preparation for their clash against the Wests Tigers and was a part of a running session a week after breaking his hand.
He wore a black protective glove and only completed limited duties in his first training since suffering the injury that has put his finals hopes in jeopardy.
Austin and prop Junior Paulo (ribs) spent time working together while the rest of the Green Machine trained in Bruce ahead of the last game of the regular season.
It is hoped Austin will be able to make a comeback in time to have an impact in the finals series, but a timeline for his return is unclear as he begins rehabilitation. Paulo will likely make a return in the opening week of the finals.
The Raiders can climb to second spot on the ladder if they beat the Tigers and results go their way in a top-of-the-table battle between the Melbourne Storm and Cronulla Sharks.
If the Raiders and Storm win, the Raiders will secure second spot and a home final in the first week of the play-offs.
If the Sharks win, the Raiders will be locked into third spot and will play the Storm in the first week of the finals.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has tinkered with the idea of rotating his roster, but he gave his players three days off this week to ensure they were fresh for a finals campaign.
"It's a good break from the last game we had. He did give us a couple of days off so we can freshen up for today's session," centre Joey Leilua said.
"I think it's our longest break this year. It's good for us to freshen up our legs for this game coming up and coming into the finals as well."
The Raiders will drive to Sydney on Friday to finish their preparation before returning to the capital and the finals hype.
Their play-off destiny will be determined in the last games of the season, with the club set to play a finals match in either Melbourne, Canberra or Sydney depending on their ladder position.
Raiders skipper Jarrod Croker said the Raiders wanted to build momentum for their finals campaign and there were no plans to relax after nine consecutive wins.
"We'll get a short, sharp session in today and have tomorrow to travel. We want to build momentum. The boys should be nice and fresh from the couple of days we have off," he said.
"I don't think anyone would be putting their hand up to have a rest, put it that way. I know I won't be.
"I've played a couple of games at Leichhardt on Sunday afternoon, sun shining and a full house, they're the games you want to play in," he said.
The third-placed Raiders will be keen observers of the Melbourne-Cronulla match at AAMI Park on Saturday afternoon which, depending on the outcome, could leave the Raiders simply playing for momentum against a Tigers side relying on the Gold Coast Titans losing against the North Queensland Cowboys to keep their slim finals hopes alive.
"We're in a position where it doesn't really affect us as much as it does a couple of other sides. It's not the be-all and end-all," Croker said.
"Regardless of where we play next week, we're going to be firing and ready to go. We just want to go out there and win on Sunday and keep the momentum going."
NRL ROUND 26
Sunday: Wests Tigers v Canberra Raiders at Leichhardt Oval, 2pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 1.
Raiders: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Edrick Lee, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Sam Williams, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Paul Vaughan, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Josh Papalii, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Sia Soliola. Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste, 15. Luke Bateman, 16. Clay Priest, 17. Joe Tapine.
