Another shoulder dislocation for the club's captain has left a solemn feeling around the Canberra Raiders camp.
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Skipper Jarrod Croker dislocated his shoulder off the paddock on Tuesday night, ruling him out of his anticipated return against the Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.
The club confirmed it was the same shoulder he injured against the Canterbury Bulldogs in round nine, but did not disclose specifics on how the 31-year-old dislocated it again.
Croker has been sent for scans to determine the extent of the injury, and to make a call on whether he requires surgery on it.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart named Croker on Tuesday as one of his starting centres against the Eels, before news reached the camp at Raiders HQ on Wednesday morning of the injury overnight.
Raiders forward Adam Elliott said every member of the squad had been keeping tabs on when Croker was due back.
"It was definitely sad news [on Wednesday] morning when I found out," he said.
"I also just wanted to get in here and see him.
"We've been keeping tabs on him, all the boys have been keeping tabs on how close he was, [asking] 'when's he coming back?'.
"And I know how excited he was, he's not just a such a good bloke but he's such a good player too.
"We don't know the severity of it but we'll all be getting around him, supporting him and hoping that he's out there with us soon."
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Croker was cleared for return following strength and stability tests on his shoulder.
He looked set to notch his 293rd game against the Eels in the chase towards the 300-milestone before the injury put those aspirations on the backburner again.
One Raiders rookie had hoped to have the skipper on the park for his first game in Canberra. Hooker Zac Woolford said news of the Croker's injury "flattened" the squad's mood on Wednesday.
But the 25-year-old and his teammates understood there was still a big job to do against Parramatta.
"I haven't played back at GIO since my under 20 days so it will be really good to get out in front of my friends and family, and hopefully make it four in a row," he said.
"I was definitely looking forward to playing my first game with [Croker] this weekend. I really feel for him, it's obviously a really tough break for him, especially with 300 so close.
"The boys will get around him, and he will do whatever he needs to do and he'll be back."
Stuart will likely turn to Sebastian Kris to fill the void left by Croker against the Eels, as he has done for the past two weeks.
Kris' in-form character will be paramount for the Raiders to continue their winning formula to keep their finals dream afloat.
The Raiders are on a three-game win streak heading into Indigenous Round, and despite the loss of Croker, will be boosted by the return of Jamal Fogarty.
The star halfback recruit is due to make his lime-green debut on Sunday, after months on the sideline nursing a pre-season knee injury.
Elliott welcomed the news of Fogarty's entry into the Raiders ranks for the first time this NRL season.
"I'm really excited just to play next to him," he said.
"He's just a ball of energy, he's classy, his base level of skill is very high, and it gives you a lot of confidence knowing that he's coming into the squad this week."