Star's injury unearths big recruitment blunder

1 year ago 82

The Raiders scraped into the finals past play but person done small successful the mode of recruitment and mislaid 4 prime NRL players for 2023 - and that could travel backmost to wounded them.

Xavier Savage's breached jaw astatine the play besides leaves the Raiders without an established fullback pursuing Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad's departure to the Warriors.

The Raiders person the endowment to get to the finals - but determination could beryllium problems with their extent implicit a agelong season.

2022 finishing position: 8th

Gains: Pasami Saulo (Knights), Danny Levi (Huddersfield).

Losses: Josh Hodgson (Eels), Adam Elliott (Knights), Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Warriors), Ryan Sutton (Bulldogs).

Best 17

Xavier Savage

Nick Cotric

Matt Timoko

Seb Kris

Jordan Rapana

Jack Wighton

Jamal Fogarty

Josh Papalii

Zac Woolford

Joseph Tapine

Hudson Young

Elliott Whitehead

Corey Harawira-Naera

Bench: Tom Starling, Emre Guler, Pasami Saulo, Corey Horsburgh

Best buy

Danny Levi has returned from England to marque a play for the hooking presumption and volition conflict it retired with Tom Starling and Zac Woolford for the 2 spots successful the apical 17.

Raiders speedster scores length-of-the-field try

Biggest loss

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad has been large for the Raiders successful caller seasons - and with Savage injured his departure volition beryllium felt adjacent more.

Greatest strength

A fiery pack, with the likes of Josh Papalii, Joseph Tapine, Hudson Young, Elliott Whitehead, Corey Harawira-Naera and Corey Horsburgh susceptible of out-enthusing immoderate rival guardant outfit connected their day.

Biggest question mark

The Raiders haven't signed a subordinate apt to marque their apical 17 - you should ever motion 2 oregon 3 prime players coming into a caller play to make arsenic a team. That deficiency of gains could travel backmost to wound them.

Man nether pressure

Jamal Fogarty looked bully successful his archetypal play successful Canberra past twelvemonth but needs to proceed to amended to pb the squad astir the parkland and instrumentality the unit disconnected halves spouse Jack Wighton.

Predicted 2023 finishing position: 10th

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