NRL teams: Canberra Raiders' Josh Papali'i out for season, Hohepa Puru named to make debut

Horsburgh lost his fight at the judiciary on Tuesday night to have a three-game ban overturned for a shoulder charge on Brisbane's Corey Jensen. He'll now miss four matches, which means his season is also over unless Canberra somehow makes the grand final.

Papali'i underwent surgery on Tuesday for a bicep tendon injury suffered in Canberra's loss to the Broncos and faces a recovery time of approximately three to four months, according to the club.

It rules the prop out of Sunday's must-win clash with the Sharks and any finals footy that the Raiders play in the coming weeks.

"It's a huge blow. He's my middles partner, I love playing with him and he has such a leader role, so a lot of the boys will have to step up for us," fellow Raiders forward Joe Tapine said.

"He's tough, so I knew something was wrong, because when he's got an injury he doesn't really say anything, but he couldn't really lift his arm.

"I know he'd be disappointed because he wants to be out there playing with with us, especially Jacko [Wighton] and Toots [Croker], they've been together since since the start."

In more positive news, both Jamal Fogarty (eye socket) and Albert Hopoate (ribs) trained on Tuesday, but only Fogarty was named in the starting lineup, with the latter 19th man.

Coach Ricky Stuart named Matt Frawley at five-eighth to pair with Fogarty in the halves, while Jack Wighton remains at centre on the left edge with Sebastian Kris on the wing, and Jordan Rapana at fullback.

However, Stuart did make some late positional shifts before their game against Brisbane, so there is potential for some lineup movement before Sunday.

Emre Guler will wear the No.8 jersey to lead the pack with Tapine, and versatile young forwards Ata Mariota and Hohepa Puru were named on the bench with hooker Tom Starling and co-captain Jarrod Croker.

If Puru suits up on the weekend, it will be the 21-year-old's NRL and Raiders debut, having come to the club this year from Penrith where he played reserve grade.

"This is a good opportunity for them to put their hand up and seal their spot in the team," Tapine said. "They've got a lot of upside to them."

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Horsburgh was named in the starting side but Pasami Saulo is expected to come in for Horsburgh now that his suspension has been upheld.

Elliott Whitehead said the team will be focused on bringing their A-game to Cronulla to help get a home final. The Raiders will be full of confidence with a nine-game winning streak against the Sharks.

"The Sharks will want that win as much as we do. It's going to be a big week of training, and we need to get there full of energy," he said.

"We want to get a home final, but we know we have to win first."

Veteran Croker only played three minutes off the bench against Brisbane.

The Sharks can afford to lose this weekend's game and still make the finals courtesy of their healthy points differential, however Canberra's horror losses this season put them in a more vulnerable position.

With a minus-119 points difference, and the Rabbitohs, Cowboys, and Roosters just one win behind them on the ladder, should Canberra lose to Cronulla, the Raiders will rely on the Panthers beating North Queensland on Saturday to squeeze into the eight.

The Raiders play on Sunday afternoon, so they will know before kick-off at Shark Park whether their game is a must-win or not. A Raiders victory could also get them a home final.

The Sharks too will be tossing up whether they keep star playmaker Nicho Hynes in the lineup after he missed the last round with a quad injury.

Hynes has been named to start but will need to prove his fitness in the lead-up.

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders at Shark Park on Sunday 4pm

Raiders squad: 1. Jordan Rapana, 2. Sebastian Kris, 3. Jack Wighton, 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Nick Cotric, 6. Matt Frawley, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Emre Guler, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (C), 13. Corey Horsburgh. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ata Mariota, 16. Jarrod Croker (C), 17. Hohepa Puru. Reserves: 18. Pasami Saulo, 19. Albert Hopoate, 20. Trey Mooney, 21. Danny Levi, 22. James Schiller

Sharks squad: 1. Connor Tracey, 2. Sione Katoa, 3. Jesse Ramien, 4. Sifa Talakai, 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6. Braydon Trindall, 7. Nicho Hynes, 8. Braden Hamlin-Uele, 9. Blake Brailey, 10. Toby Rudolf, 11. Briton Nikora, 12. Wade Graham, 13. Cam McInnes. Interchange: 14. Jack Williams, 15. Royce Hunt, 16. Tom Hazelton, 17. Matt Moylan

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