Raiders star Josh Papalii has proved his fitness for Canberra's crunch clash with St George Illawarra on Saturday, while veteran prop Sia Soliola will be given at least one more week on the sidelines before returning from a facial fracture.
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Papalii has been battling a shoulder injury sustained in last weekend's loss to the Sydney Roosters, but emerged from training on Friday unscathed after being cleared of serious damage earlier in the week.
It's a major boost for coach Ricky Stuart who must orchestrate a win in Wollongong to keep his side's NRL top-four aspirations alive.
"He [Soliola] would've come in if Josh was injured but Josh will be fine," Stuart said.
"Sia, I'll get him some minutes before the end of the season. It's good to have him back, he's past all the tests this week with any type of contact.
"He was in the changerooms last week and he didn't handle it real well sitting there watching the boys prepare to play.
"It doesn't take Sia much to get motivated to play a game of football. We've had to hold him back for a number of weeks with his training and the staff have done a wonderful job with him."
MORE RAIDERS NEWS
A win for the Raiders would keep them in touch with the fourth-place Sydney Roosters with games against the New Zealand Warriors and Cronulla Sharks still to come.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
