Jarrod Croker is ready. Now Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart just needs to work out when to bring his co-captain back in.
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Croker returned to full contact work in the lead-up to round one, but Stuart wanted his record-breaking centre to build his fitness before he returned to the fold.
That could be this week against the New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
Croker had surgery on his shoulder following the Raiders' preliminary final last year and could have played round one, but Stuart opted to take a cautious approach.
Now the 30-year-old's conditioning's at 100 per cent.
"I'll have a look at that [on Monday], I'll think about that then," Stuart said.
"He's ticked off, he's right to go. It's now a matter of when we pick him. But he's done everything he needed to do from the conditioning and shoulder point of view.
"The last couple of weeks have just given us an opportunity to keep strengthening the shoulder, but our medical team have ticked off on everything."
MORE RAIDERS NEWS
Stuart's incumbent centres have given the Raiders mentor a tough decision ahead of naming the team on Tuesday.
Sebastian Kris slotted seamlessly on Croker's left edge, after having a year off in 2020 to look after his mental health.
He scored the Raiders' opening try off the back of a kick chase of his own kick in behind the Sharks defensive line in the nail-biting 12-10 victory on a drenched Kogarah Park on Sunday.
Kris can play on either edge, but at right centre Curtis Scott also shone.
His fast-thinking set up the Raiders' second try in the shadows of half-time when he beat two Sharks to swoop on a loose ball, with Hudson Young eventually crashing over.
Stuart labelled it a massive moment in the game - it capped off a dominant Raiders first half and was the last time the Green Machine would score before the Sharks' second-half fightback.
"Huge. In games like this you look at the small moments, such as Curtis's execution there ... certain parts of play turn momentum," Stuart said.
"You always look at those little moments and that's what you value in individuals.
"But it was never going to be an attractive game. It was just a gritty, shitty affair."
Croker's return would also see Canberra's first-choice goal-kicker come back into the team - although England international George Williams has done an excellent job deputising.
Williams has kicked seven from eight in Croker's absence and goal-kicking proved the difference at Kogarah.
If Sharks halfback Chad Townsend had done better than one from four from the kicking tee on Sunday it could've been a different story.
He had two shots for goal a few metres in from touch inside the final 10 minutes, both of which would have sent the game into golden point.
The playmaker did have a reasonable excuse though - he welcomed another addition to his young family during the week.
Stuart was convinced Townsend was going to level it from six metres in from touch.
"I just thought he'd correct his last kick. I thought he'd get it," Stuart said.
"But I promise you I've lost a lot of those games too so I'm happy to be on the other end of that."
AT A GLANCE
CANBERRA RAIDERS 12 (Sebastian Kris, Hudson Young tries; George Williams 2 goals) bt CRONULLA SHARKS 10 (William Kennedy, Josh Dugan tries; Chad Townsend goal) at Kogarah Park. Referee: Chris Sutton. Crowd: 3145.
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