With the Raiders nosediving after four straight losses and the players craving sunnier locales like Bradford, the euphoric days in Canberra of grand finals and tormenting Melbourne are starting to feel like a distant memory. Inevitable questions have been raised in the nation’s capital in the wake of the Raiders’ recent slump, with the dire […]
Ryan Papenhuyzen is the reigning Clive Churchill medallist and statistically the most in-form fullback in the NRL. All three are likely to be in the squad somewhere.
Latrell Mitchell was in devastating form before his suspension and could yet nab a centre spot while in-form Eels skipper Clint Gutherson is playing better now than when he was picked for the Blues last year yet may still struggle to keep a spot in the team.
And spare a thought for Dylan Edwards. He s a NSW-eligible fullback in supreme form for the best team in the competition. He has a well-set combination with the NSW halfback but can barely rate a mention as an option.
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After the Raiders were heavily defeated by Parramatta on home soil in round six, coach Ricky Stuart called Josh Hodgson into a meeting and delivered some home truths.
Stuart told the hooker he would be dropped to the bench for the game against the Cowboys, highlighting a few deficiencies in the Raidersâ game that he hoped young Tom Starling would help rectify.
Josh Hodgson stood down as captain a fortnight ago.
Credit:Getty
What is believed to have infuriated the Raiders hooker, as much as what Stuart thought of his performances, is the fact heâd heard the same things the night before on Fox Leagueâs
Canberra star Josh Hodgson insists he is still fully committed to the club after relinquishing the Raiders captaincy amid conjecture around his future and mounting issues in the nation s capital.
The captaincy shake-up comes a day after reports that fellow English import George Williams had raised homesickness issues with the club, while Stuart is also understood to have addressed on and off-field issues with his players during a meeting on Tuesday. I’ve made the decision to stand down as club captain and I informed the team of this a couple of weeks ago, Hodgson said in a Raiders statement on Wednesday.