The Canberra Raiders have spoken to the NRL about using a salary cap dispensation rule for injured international stars as they wait to find out if Jordan Rapana will miss the next six months.
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Rapana is on his way back to the capital after dislocating his shoulder while playing for New Zealand last weekend, hitting the Raiders with their third major international injury in the past 12 months.
The NRL introduced a representative injury rule earlier this year, which allows clubs to sign another player worth up to $350,000 to replace someone who misses 12 or more NRL games because of a representative fixture injury.
It has effectively been dubbed the "Josh Hodgson rule" after the Raiders rake ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for England at the World Cup last year.
He missed 15 weeks of the Raiders' season and left a gaping hole in the Green Machine squad, prompting NRL club chief executives to agree to a salary cap relief proposal for anyone injured during international, State of Origin or All Stars matches.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner has touched base with NRL officials to discuss the options for Rapana, but the club is waiting for the results of scans when he arrives home before making any moves.
It is hoped Rapana will not need an operation and will be fit for the start of the season next year, but he could miss six months and as many as 10 games if the injury is serious.
The Raiders are already looking for another half to add to their roster after Ata Hingano injured his shoulder while playing for Tonga, likely ruling him out for the first six games of the 2019 season.
The uncertain nature of recovery times means there is some flexibility to the 12-game dispensation rule, which involves potentially standing down the injured players from selection if they recover earlier than expected.
"Hopefully Jordan's injury isn't that bad. We'll assess him when he gets back and it's hard to tell at this stage, but we are looking at using [the dispensation]," Furner said.
"It's hard to know with injuries whether someone will come back sooner or whether it will take longer - everyone's different. But if it is a long-term injury, we'll explore the new rule.
"We were obviously disadvantaged with Josh last year, so we were glad to see it brought in. We've now lost two players for long periods, but hopefully it's not long for Jordan.
"The massive losers [to representative injuries] are the clubs. You never want to have to use the rule, but it is there so we'll look at it."
The Raiders will be nervously watching an England v New Zealand dead rubber on Sunday, with four Canberra players - including Golden Boot nominee Elliott Whitehead - involved in the match.
Rapana's shoulder popped out in the 12th minute last weekend he landed on it again in the 68th minute, which forced him from the field.
Hingano had shoulder surgery last week and could miss up to eight rounds, while Hodgson, Whitehead English recruit John Bateman and Joe Tapine will play again this weekend.
If Rapana's injury is the worst-possible scenario, the Raiders would be able to sign a player to a 12-month contract and it wouldn't have an impact on their salary cap.
The coaching merry-go-round could see significant roster changes at clubs in the coming months, but the Raiders won't look to the open market unless Rapana is ruled out.
"It's always difficult at this late stage to get a replacement anyway. The rule is that you have to take that player for 12 months, which gives them a year of certainty and that's fair enough," Furner said.
"I think that's a good rule because it allows you to plan as well. There still will be some movement at clubs [with players], there always is. So we'll work out our position with Jordan and work from there."
