New Zealand great Daryl Halligan has backed "free spirit" Jordan Rapana to spark the Green Machine into gear as the Canberra Raiders fight to save their season.
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Raiders coach Ricky Stuart named Rapana and Josh Papalii to return from suspension against the Cronulla Sharks at Shark Park on Saturday.
The returning pair provide a timely boost for a Green Machine side needing to go unbeaten to give themselves a fighting chance at playing in the finals.
Joe Tapine shuffles back to the bench for Papalii, while Stuart has shifted Kurt Baptiste back to the bench with Luke Bateman set to start at lock. Jeff Lima drops back onto the extended bench.
Halligan says Jack Bird's return for the Sharks gives Rapana and fellow outside backs Joey Leilua and Nick Cotric a big opportunity.
The former point scoring machine says Rapana has "had a wow of a couple of years" and while "he's not bullet proof", he's always among Canberra's best.
Cotric has thrown his hat into the ring for the NRL's rookie of the year award and Halligan believes he's got the perfect man to learn off on the other side of the field.
Rapana is a household name and "might do a 360 or even a 720 before finding which way he's going to go", while young powerhouse Cotric is more direct and punches his way through the line.
They each bring something different to the table but they both love rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands on the ball.
"If the ball doesn't come his way [Rapana] seems to find it," Halligan said.
"I like the way he plays so much, I think he teaches young players coming into the game how to get yourself involved in the game by being a winger."
Halligan says Canberra's attacking instincts can make them error prone at times but going away from what makes them so dangerous is the worst thing they could do with their season on the line.
"They're not going to go into their shell, it's not going to change their nature," Halligan said.
"Rapana, Leilua, Cotric, all those names are going to come to the fore in the next couple of weeks of football.
"I think [Stuart] has learned over the years that you've got to continue to play, you've got to play yourself out of trouble."
Rapana's return to the right-edge where he has scored 14 tries this season sees him link up with Leilua - another of Halligan's favourites.
Leilua's emotions can often get the better of him on the field but Halligan says that just goes to show how passionate the damaging centre is.
"I like watching Joey play because when someone has a run inside him and he thinks he should have got the ball, he blows up," Halligan said.
"'Why aren't you passing it to me?' That's his character so that's great. It shows that he wants the football and he wants to be a part of it.
"He's not without faults as well, and in a way maybe that has held him back from playing rep football to an extent. But I don't think you can be as creative as he is without going on the side of high risk or a level of risk anyway."
Sharks five eighth Fa'amanu Brown has passed the NRL's concussion protocols and been named to start, with regular five-eighth James Maloney out for another two weeks with a broken hand.
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan has named former Raiders players Adam Clydsdale and Edrick Lee on an extended bench.
NRL ROUND 22
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Cronulla Sharks at Shark Park, 7.30pm. Live on Fox League.
Raiders team: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (C), 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. Luke Bateman. Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste, 15. Clay Priest, 16. Dave Taylor, 17. Joe Tapine, 18. Michael Oldfield, 19. Jeff Lima, 20. Royce Hunt, 21. Erin Clark.
Sharks team: 1. Valentine Holmes, 2. Sosaia Feki, 3. Jack Bird, 4. Ricky Leutele, 5. Gerard Beale, 6. Fa'amanu Brown, 7. Chad Townsend, 8. Andrew Fifita, 9. James Segeyaro, 10. Matt Prior, 11. Luke Lewis, 12. Wade Graham, 13. Paul Gallen. Interchange: 14. Jayson Bukuya, 15. Chris Heighington, 16. Jeremy Latimore, 17. Kurt Capewell, 18. Adam Clydsdale, 19. Joseph Paulo, 20. Sam Tagataese, 21. Edrick Lee
