Curtis Scott is set to play his first game for the Canberra Raiders despite NRL officials still deliberating about his immediate playing future.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg is yet to announce whether Scott will be stood down after he was tasered, arrested and charged last month.
Scott is facing six charges, including two counts of assaulting a police officer, following an incident in Sydney. The 22-year-old has pleaded not guilty.
The NRL has been considering his availability for the past month as per the competition's no-fault stand down policy.
Greenberg has viewed some of the footage, but his decision has been delayed by a trip to England to watch the World Club Challenge.
Scott is expected to be picked to play for the Raiders' in a pre-season trial against the Canterbury Bulldogs in Port Macquarie on Saturday night.
"[Scott] is playing this weekend. That still has to be dealt with, but he's available to play," said Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.
"He is looking forward to playing some football. He's remorseful in regards to what happens.
"It would be an understatement to say we haven't taken this seriously and dealt with it.
"We genuinely have and it's been an ongoing situation. I can genuinely say he's remorseful about the choices and situation he got himself into. But it's not the Wanda Beach Murders, either."
MORE RAIDERS NEWS
The Raiders will roll out a near full-strength side for their only pre-season match and their first game since losing the grand final to the Sydney Roosters last year.
John Bateman is unavailable after having shoulder surgery and won't be ready to play for the start of the season.
But Jack Wighton will join new halves partner George Williams for the first time, with Stuart expected to give his top players an extended run.
"I'll take 26 players away. My first 18-20 players will get 55-60 minutes and then I'll give some other players an opportunity," Stuart said.
"I'll also leave some more players back here to get time in the Mounties game, because they have a trial against our [under-20s] team.
"We've only got the one trial, which is what I want and we'll move on from there.
"To have success in this competition you need luck and the biggest luck is making sure you have your best players available week in and week out."
Back-rower Jack Murchie has been linked to the New Zealand Warriors and could make the move before the season begins.
Stuart said his players were bursting for a chance to play five months after suffering grand final heartbreak.
"I just get the feeling the players are all ready to play. There's collision at training, then there's collision.
"They're ready to have a trial, get a bit of timing back and then move into preparations for the first game. I get the testosterone feeling at training they're ready for a challenge."
The Raiders will play the Gold Coast Titans at Canberra Stadium in the opening game of the season on March 13.