Canberra forward Josh Papalii is confident the Raiders can take the first step to turning their season around against the South Sydney Rabbitohs next Friday.
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Papalii is expected to miss the ANZ Stadium encounter with nerve damage in his arm, but could be back for the following week’s match after the hard-hitting second-rower was cleared of a suspected broken arm.
‘‘It’s a pretty good result, just have to see how it goes in the gym and the field,’’ Papalii said.
‘‘I’ve been getting jokes from the boys about coming off from a bruised arm.
‘‘I know that they’ll do the job without me and hopefully we can turn our season around.’’
Papalii wasn’t the only first-grade regular watching on from the sidelines at this morning’s chilly training session at the West Belconnen Leagues Club, with centre Jack Wighton rested as a precaution with a sore ankle.
Papalii left the field in the second half of the Raiders’ 40-34 win against the Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium last weekend.
The Raiders are 13th on the ladder with four wins from 10 games and have the bye this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Raiders have confirmed they will stage a trial game in Goulburn next year to celebrate the town’s 150th anniversary.
The Raiders will take on the Canterbury Bulldogs in Goulburn before rounding out their pre-season fixtures with a match against the Melbourne Storm in Bega.
