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The Raiders will be sweating on the match review committee and whether fullback Seb Kris will be dealt a hefty charge for taking out Kalyn Ponga mid-air in Canberra's round 22 defeat.
Though Kris was tripped up right before making his mistimed leap to contest a high ball with Ponga, he collided with and flipped the Newcastle star.
Coach Ricky Stuart called it an "accident" but in commentary former NRL player Corey Parker called it a "clumsy play" and said Kris was lucky not to be sin-binned.
"That is 100 percent dangerous," Parker said. "The penalty was brought in to eliminate this."
Referee Adam Gee had little hesitation putting Kris on report despite co-captain Elliott Whitehead's arguments.
The question is what Stuart will do in the selection room if Kris faces suspension.
Xavier Savage still has an injured hamstring and isn't expected back before round 26. That could put NSW Cup fullback Chevy Stewart in the box seat for an NRL debut.
Stewart's form at the back, which even held off Savage's push for the No.1 jersey in NSW Cup, earned him a NSW Blues under-19s Origin call-up.
In such a scenario, the reality is Stuart is more likely to shift Jordan Rapana to fullback and pull up one of their reserve outside backs to the wing, which could be Stewart, Nick Cotric, or James Schiller, with the latter pair having had success there in the past.
Raiders fans on social media remain intrigued about the potential X-factor Stewart could offer Canberra if the 18-year-old is given a crack at the NRL. Whether Stuart believes he is ready for first grade though, that is yet to be determined.
The Ponga factor
Kalyn Ponga is back. Ever since overcoming his concussion issues, the top-dollar Knights fullback has been hugely influential in their four-game winning streak.
It was no different in Canberra as the former Maroons star put on a masterclass in a 22-point thumping of the stalling Green Machine.
Ponga had the opening try, was a perfect six-from-six with the boot, ran for almost 200 total metres and made six tackle breaks.
And that's despite copping two heavy head knocks and needing a head injury assessment check too.
"He's doing a really good job at identifying the stuff we look at during the week," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said of Ponga.
"They're executing at training which gives them confidence to go chase it early in games."
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