Sebastian Kris was gutted by Jarrod Croker's shoulder dislocation that's ruled him out of the Canberra Raiders' clash against the Parramatta Eels.
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But he's vowed to make his co-captain proud when he takes his place in the centres at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.
The Raiders have given Croker space to come to terms with his second dislocation in three weeks that's again cast doubt over his playing future.
Once again talk of medical retirement has engulfed the man who's scored the third-most points in the history of the game.
Croker will likely need surgery, which was why the Raiders weren't rushing to get scans to determine the extent of the damage on the 292-gamer's shoulder.
The 31-year-old's had a horror run with injury over the past year, with a chronic knee problem limiting his 2021 NRL season.
No sooner had stem-cell treatment fixed that problem before a bulging disc put him on the sidelines once again.
Now he's dislocated his shoulder again - this time reaching for the TV remote at home - after originally dislocating it saving a try against Canterbury in his first NRL game of the season.
Kris will keep his spot in the centres now, opening a spot up on the bench for either Harry Rushton or Corey Harawira-Naera - or even a back if Raiders coach Ricky Stuart wants some cover out wide.
"I haven't talked to him yet, but it's very disappointing. He's a great person for the club, he's a great leader," Kris said of Croker.
"He gets everyone up and ready to go. I hate to see it, but at the same time I'll be sure to do my job and make him proud."
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Kris had a rocky start to the season with COVID-19 isolations and a concussion keeping him on the sideline.
But he's strung a few games together and scored a try in each of his past two outings, with the one against South Sydney to cap off a brilliant team try.
The 23-year-old admitted he'd watched it back a few times.
"You can feel there's confidence around [the team after scoring that try]," Kris said.
"I did watch it a few times," he added with a cheeky laugh.
NRL ROUND 12
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Xavier Savage, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Adam Elliott. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ryan Sutton, 16. Sebastian Kris, 17. Corey Horsburgh. Reserves: 18. Brad Schneider, 19. Harry Rushton, 20. James Schiller, 21. Corey Harawira-Naera 22. Trey Mooney, 23. Emre Guler, 24. Matt Frawley.
Eels squad: 1. Clinton Gutherson (c), 2. Waqa Blake, 3. Viliami Penisini, 4. Tom Opacic, 5. Bailey Simonsson, 6. Dylan Brown, 7. Mitchell Moses, 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Shaun Lane, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Isaiah Papali'i. Interchange: 14. Makahesi Makatoa, 15. Ryan Matterson, 16. Oregon Kaufusi, 17. Nathan Brown. Interchange: 18. Bryce Cartwright, 19. Jakob Arthur, 20. Mitch Rein, 21. Hayze Perham, 22. Sean Russell, 23. Ky Rodwell, 24. Maika Sivo.
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