Is the silver lining to Sebastian Kris's horror tackle a Canberra Raiders' recall for co-captain Jarrod Croker?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After the club great was left out of their final-round clash against Cronulla, it'll be interesting to see if he comes back in for the Green Machine's knockout final against Newcastle next week.
The Raiders will travel to Newcastle to take on the Knights on Sunday - and they'll do so probably without Kris after he was sent off for his dangerous tackle on Cronulla winger Sione Katoa in the Sharks' 24-6 win.
Canberra is already without middles Josh Papali'i (biceps), Corey Horsburgh (suspension) and Corey Harawira-Naera (illness) and now they'll likely be without Kris - potentially for the rest of the season, depending on what the match review committee hands him.
But if Horsburgh's tackle was worthy of four weeks it's not going to be pretty for Kris.
Croker is one of a number of options at Raiders coach Ricky Stuart's disposal.
There's also Albert Hopoate, who was 18th man, Xavier Savage, James Schiller and Harley Smith-Shields. Croker could provide a steady head in an otherwise inexperienced side. He was a late omission from the side, after being named on the bench.
Stuart had a young, inexperienced forward pack - especially in the middle.
He had Emre Guler (81 games), Ata Mariota (16), Trey Mooney (four), Pasami Saulo (48) and Hohepa Puru making his NRL debut against the Sharks.
That made it tough to have Croker, an outside back, on his bench for a game where a home semi was on the line.
Croker has been in inspirational player for the Green Machine across his 307-game career and helped turn their season around this year when he came into the side in round six. But Stuart has opted to play Croker's good mate Jack Wighton at left centre the past two weeks, the Canberra co-captain limited to just three minutes during that period.
Croker is set to retire at the end of the year. Has he got at least one more game left?
Rapa's 200
Raiders winger-cum-fullback Jordan Rapana doesn't usually do things quietly. Or at anything less than 1000 miles per hour.
But somehow his 200th NRL game snuck through to game day with very little fanfare.
Perhaps he was busy on the golf course?
READ MORE:
The golf freak played his milestone in his usual energetic manner, having initially played five games for the Gold Coast - where he grew up - before amassing 195 more for the Green Machine.
That's despite taking time off for a Mormon mission, two cracks at rugby union - including a stint in Japan - and numerous injuries, including a gruesome fractured skull. He celebrated his 200th with his 100th Raiders try and 205 run metres (107 of which were in the first half).
Ponga watch
Raiders fans will be almost as keenly watching the Newcastle team naming on Tuesday as they will the match review committee's findings on Monday.
Knights fullback and talisman Kalyn Ponga missed this week with a shoulder injury and was expected to be back for the finals.
He's made a habit of terrorising the Raiders since he moved to Newcastle and that was no different in their meeting at Canberra Stadium earlier in the year.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram