Raiders stars Jarrod Croker and Josh Papalii will miss Thursday's clash with the high-flying South Sydney Rabbitohs after coach Ricky Stuart was forced to make more changes to his under-performing team.
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Croker is out for the short term with a minor shoulder injury, sustained late on in Saturday's 26-24 loss to North Queensland.
It's the same shoulder the 30-year-old had operated on during the offseason, but his latest setback is not believed to be related to the surgery,
Queensland prop Josh Papalii has been rested for the Souths game after coming off the bench against the Cowboys.
New Zealand international Joseph Tapine takes Papalii's spot on the bench, while veteran Sia Soliola, who was 18th man in Townsville last weekend, has been left out of the 17 for a second straight week.
"Papa needs to go back and find the old Papa, because we're all missing it," Canberra coach Ricky Stuart told Fox Sports.
"We're going to rest him and give him some game time off. We fully support him and we know he'll be back to the old Papa soon."
Bailey Simonsson returns from concussion and will resume his place on the wing, while Sebastian Kris will switch sides and push into the centres to cover Croker.
Englishman Elliott Whitehad will take on sole captaincy responsibilities with compatriot Josh Hodgson still sidelined after reportedly injuring his calf at training last Tuesday.
Emre Guler has retained his spot in the starting side, while Corey Harawira-Naera, who started despite being named on the bench last weekend, has been picked in the second row.
Corey Horsburgh, Hudson Young and Siliva Havili round out the rest of Stuart's bench alongside Tapine.
The Raiders run into a high-powered Rabbitohs outfit which sits equal second on the NRL ladder having lost just once in the opening seven rounds.
Canberra, meanwhile, has lost four of their last five and two matches in a row at home for the first time since the latter stages of 2019.
"We're doing the right things, it's just a confidence thing, we're down on confidence after a few losses and we've just got to get back to us," Horsburgh said.
"When we're at our best, I don't think many teams can come with us, we've just got to get back to how we play and what we like doing, and that's winning."
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The 26-24 loss to the Cowboys was Horsburgh's first start in the NRL in 10 months, following a foot injury last season and his drink-driving conviction which stemmed from the festive break.
"I was actually very nervous on the weekend when I was sitting on the bench, it's been a while, but I loved it," Horsburgh said.
"[Stuart] just wanted me to get my minutes back up because I'd been out for nine months. It takes a little bit to get used to playing footy again."
THURSDAY: Canberra Raiders v South Sydney Rabbitohs, 7.50pm at GIO Stadium
1. Caleb Aekins 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Sebastian Kris 4. Curtis Scott 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. George Williams 8. Ryan James 9. Tom Starling 10. Emre Guler 11. Corey Harawira-Naera 12. Elliott Whitehead (C) 13. Ryan Sutton 14. Siliva Havili 15. Joe Tapine 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Hudson Young 18. Matt Timoko 19. Sia Soliola 20. Matt Frawley 21. Dunamis Lui
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.
