Canberra Raiders lose English star Hollie-Mae Dodd for do-or-die clash to decide NRLW finals fate

The NRLW squad copped a blow ahead of the last game of the regular season where Canberra need a win to seal a finals berth in their inaugural year.

English import Hollie-Mae Dodd was not named to play the Titans at Canberra Stadium on Sunday afternoon, after suffering a suspected ACL injury last week that has likely ended her season.

The 20-year-old second-rower suffered the injury against the Cowboys on the Gold Coast, and had scans on Tuesday.

It's a tough omission for Raiders coach Darrin Borthwick, with Dodd showing a lot of promise in her debut NRLW season. She scored one try in seven appearances for the Green Machine, averaging 76 metres with 94 per cent tackle efficiency.

"She's been really good for us. From the first day she got here to the player she is now, with picking up the speed and contact of our game, she's a big loss for us," Borthwick said.

"She's on a two-year deal though, so that's a positive for us with a lot of time to get her right, and the way surgeries are done these days there's a good success rate and they recover better."

Dodd's omission was the major change for the 22-woman squad named on Tuesday to face the Titans, which will get cut down again on Saturday. Elise Smith is listed as Dodd's replacement in the back row.

Outside-back Mackenzie Wiki is expected to be right to play after having a sore foot stomped on in Canberra's win over the Cowboys last weekend.

The game this Sunday back in the capital is the biggest one of the year for the fifth-placed Raiders.

The equation is simple - the Raiders will miss the NRLW finals with a loss to the Titans on Sunday.

Canberra must beat Gold Coast by 12 points to make the top-four on for and against. A win by less than that will mean the Raiders have to rely on fourth-placed Brisbane, who boast a far superior points differential, to lose its last-round clash against the six-placed Dragons.

"My advice to the girls will be not to look at the scoreboard even if it'll be at the back of our mind," Borthwick said.

"We want the performance in both halves and if we can get that right, the scoreboard should look after itself.

"I know the group is really excited about what it's come down to and being at home is the icing on the cake."

In their inaugural season, to be in with a shot at the finals is a tantalising prospect for everyone at the Raiders, and no-one is more proud than Borthwick.

"We've definitely exceeded a lot of expectations," he said.

"I knew what I wanted here for this club and I always said to myself if we get the right players and people here the footy success will come - it's probably just come a little bit earlier than everyone thought."

With the Raiders' NRL campaign ending last weekend after a nail-biting loss to the Newcastle Knights, Borthwick hopes that Canberra's rugby league-loving community get behind the NRLW team in their last home game of the regular season.

The added bonus for footy fans is that Sunday is an all-NRLW double-header in Canberra, with the Eels and Sharks kicking off in the earlier game at 1.05pm before the Raiders and Titans at 3.15pm.

"At the end of the day, we're all wearing the same colours, male or female, and I'm pretty confident that we'll have a really good Raiders supporter base out there on Sunday," Borthwick said.

"The supporters we had up on the Gold Coast last week were fantastic. There were a lot of green jerseys and people meeting the players, so I would assume back at home we'll get a really good crowd."

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Gold Coast Titans at Canberra Stadium, 3.15pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Apii Nicholls, 2. Madison Bartlett, 3. Cheyelle Robins-Reti, 4. Mackenzie Wiki, 5. Shakiah Tungai, 6. Zahara Temara (c), 7. Ash Quinlan, 8. Tommaya Kelly-Sines, 9. Chanté Temara, 10. Sophie Holyman, 11. Monalisa Soliola, 12. Elise Smith, 13. Simaima Taufa (c). Interchange: 14. Emma Barnes, 15. Grace Kemp, 16. Kerehitina Matua, 17. Tara Reinke. Reserves: 18. Ella Ryan, 19. Alanna Dummett, 20. Ahlivia Ingram, 21. Jessica Gentle, 22. Ua Ravu

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: