'There is no reason why he shouldn't be able to go back': Cardiologist backs Raiders' return with defibrillator

ANU Associate Professor Rajeev Pathak said Harawira-Naera's underlying heart condition would be the main concern, rather than having a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

The cardiologist at Canberra Heart Rhythm Centre didn't know exactly what the Raiders second-rower's heart condition was, but he knew the device he'd had inserted in his chest intimately.

He felt the 28-year-old should be able to return to the NRL about three to six months after he'd had the defibrillator inserted - believed to be late last year.

That would give the device and wiring enough time to "settle in" and develop scar tissue to help hold it in place.

While Pathak said Harawira-Naera might need to wear some padding around the device, he said there was only a "small risk" of it being damaged or dislodged.

He has about 30 patients with the same device and has told them all to "forget about it and get on with your life".

Harawira-Naera met with specialists on Tuesday and while he was given permission to increase his training load, The Canberra Times revealed he still hadn't been cleared for contact training.

There's no time frame around when that clearance might come, although it's believed the specialists were in the process of preparing a report.

Pathak pointed to Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen as an example of returning to professional sport with a defibrillator.

"There are lots of stories like this, lots of European [soccer] league games where people had that and they had the device and they returned to the professional level," he said.

"It's all about risk assessment and management, and then physically training yourself.

"I do not know exactly what condition Corey has - I'm going by the type of defibrillator he has - going by that advice there is no reason why he shouldn't be able to go back to a professional level to be able to play."

The defibrillator was about eight centimetres long by seven centimetres wide, and was inserted under the skin in the armpit, with an electrode attached to the breastbone.

Pathak said in most cases once it had settled in you had to actually touch it to be able to tell it was there.

He said that would be even more likely for a muscly, professional athlete like Harawira-Naera.

"The risk of fracture or dislodgement once the lead sets in is extremely low," Pathak said.

"The device itself, the risk of movement and dislodgement is rare, but that is a really good safety net.

"Yes, there is a small risk of injury and they need to probably try to protect that area - put some padding or something."

Pathak said the main risk that would stop Harawira-Naera from returning to the NRL would be the nature of his heart condition.

It's still unclear what exactly it was, but there were concerns over his heartbeat last year.

Harawira-Naera has gone through a frustrating series of medical tests since he suffered a seizure and collapsed during the Raiders' clash with South Sydney at Homebush last May.

It's still unclear what caused his seizure.

He spent the past nine months on the sidelines trying to get a medical clearance to return.

If the worst-case scenario was to eventuate, then the Raiders can apply to the NRL for salary-cap relief to replace Harawira-Naera with a like-for-like player - but they haven't started that process yet.

The Raiders have vowed to offer the former New Zealand international an off-field role if he was forced to medically retire.

"The medical condition itself can sometimes decide as well," Pathak said.

"There are certain conditions, what we call a hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy ... then it might be difficult.

"But if it is not those conditions when the cardiologist assesses and he's safe otherwise, just because he has an electrical fault, those patients normally have a much higher chance of being able to go back to the elite level."

NRL PRE-SEASON TRIAL

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v North Queensland Cowboys at Seiffert Oval, 3pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Albert Hopoate, 2. Michael Asomua, 3. Matthew Timoko, 4. James Schiller, 5. Xavier Savage, 6. Kaeo Weekes, 7. Ethan Strange, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Danny Levi, 10. Emre Guler, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Morgan Smithies. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Nick Cotric, 16. Trey Mooney, 17. Jed Stuart, 18. Chevy Stewart, 19. Adam Cook, 20. Peter Hola, 21. Mitch Henderson, 22. Zac Hosking, 23. Simi Sasagi, 24. Pasami Saulo, 25. Ata Mariota, 26. Hohepa Puru, 27. Zac Woolford.

Cowboys squad: 1. Scott Drinkwater, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Valentine Holmes, 4. Zac Laybutt, 5. Murray Taulagi, 6. Tom Dearden, 7. Chad Townsend, 8. Jordan McLean, 9. Reece Robson, 10. Jason Taumalolo, 11. Heilum Luki, 12. Jeremiah Nanai, 13. Reuben Cotter. Interchange: 14. Jake Granville, 15. Griffin Neame, 16. Coen Hess, 17. Sam McIntyre, 18. Thomas Mikaele, 19. Tomas Chester, 20. Semi Valemei, 21. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, 22. Jack Gosiewski, 23. Jake Clifford.