Raiders' Tom Starling praised teammate Savelio Tamale for prioritizing the team by requesting a demotion to regain confidence.
Raiders hooker Tom Starling has praised the selfless act of a teammate who requested his own demotion from first grade, saying it highlights the ultimate team-first culture built under Ricky Stuart.
Canberra host the Melbourne Storm on Friday night, with Starling believing his team can banish the demons of last year's NRL finals heartache and get their 2026 season underway in earnest with a victory.
The Raiders will be without winger Savelio Tamale, who approached Stuart mid-week requesting to be dropped to NSW Cup while he rekindles his confidence.
Starling joined the chorus of Canberra support for a young player putting the team ahead of himself.
"We all love Sav, he's going to have a stellar career and he's going to be an international," Starling reflected. "He's got a big career ahead of him. He will be back, he will get his confidence back up and will be back with us in no time," Starling told foxsports.com.au.