Raiders suffer massive injury blow on eve of NRL season

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart will be without his captain for their round one clash against the Knights in Newcastle on Thursday night.

Canberra captain Elliott Whitehead has a calf injury and was expected to miss three to four weeks.

His omission added further intrigue to one of the most hotly-contested round-one selection battles the Raiders have had, on top of:

* Ethan Strange getting first crack at five-eighth after a pre-season duel with Kaeo Weekes;

* Ex-Panther Zac Hosking making his Raiders debut in Whitehead's place;

* Xavier Savage making his NRL return on the wing after only playing one game last year;

* Prop Joe Tapine named captain in Whitehead's absence;

* Danny Levi named as starting hooker, with Tom Starling on the bench and Zac Woolford missing out on the 17;

* England international Morgan Smithies making his NRL debut at lock;

* Albert Hopoate partnering Matt Timoko in the centres;

* Emre Guler, Ata Mariota and Pasami Saulo earned the forward bench spots;

* And Jordan Rapana confirmed at fullback.

Tapine said both Strange and Weekes had the ability to create a try out of nothing, with Strange's defence in the Green Machine's final pre-season trial impressing him.

Strange made his NRL debut last year, playing in the centres against Melbourne, but will get his first crack in first grade in his preferred position.

It will be extra special for the 19-year-old, who will get to play in front of friends and family having grown up on the Central Coast.

"Watching that second trial [Strange's] defence really impressed me. His tackling was amazing that day," Tapine said of the five-eighth.

Smithies will make his NRL debut having only joined the Raiders during the pre-season.

Corey Horsburgh's suspension for the opening two rounds opened the door for Smithies to wear the No.13 jersey against the Knights.

Smithies joined the Green Machine fresh from winning the English Super League title with Wigan last year.

The 23-year-old also made his England debut in 2023 and has been described as a typical hard-nosed Englishman who has also added some ball-playing to his game.

"I like what I've seen with him too," Tapine said.

"He's just one of those workhorses that does all the gritty work that probably the fans might not notice that we do.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what he does."

It's been one of the Raiders' most competitive pre-seasons ever, with genuine competition for spots across the park.

It's even driven Tapine, one of the best props in the world, to improve due to pressure from the chasing pack.

"You have to step your game up or they're going to overtake you and take your spot," he said.

"That pressure is real and it's probably been my best pre-season so far."

NRL ROUND ONE

Thursday: Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights at Newcastle, 8pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Jordan Rapana, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Albert Hopoate, 5. Xavier Savage, 6. Ethan Strange, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papali'i, 9. Danny Levi, 10. Joe Tapine (c), 11. Hudson Young, 12. Zac Hosking, 13. Morgan Smithies. Interchange from: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Ata Mariota, 17. Pasami Saulo, 18. Kaeo Weekes, 19. Simi Sasagi, 20. Zac Woolford, 21. James Schiller, 22. Trey Mooney.

Knights squad: 1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Enari Tuala, 3. Dane Gagai, 4. Bradman Best, 5. Greg Marzhew, 6. Tyson Gamble, 7. Jackson Hastings, 8. Jacob Saifiti, 9. Phoenix Crossland, 10. Leo Thompson, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Dylan Lucas, 13. Adam Elliott. Interchange from: 14. Jack Cogger, 15. Daniel Saifiti, 16. Jack Hetherington, 17. Kai Pearce-Paul, 18. Jed Cartwright, 19. Thomas Jenkins, 20. Will Pryce, 21. Brodie Jones, 22. Thomas Cant.