Canberra Raiders Latest

NRL's Daine Laurie faced a probe after being charged with cocaine possession, raising integrity concerns ahead of his Raiders debut.

The Australian

One of the NRL's hottest off-season targets is at the centre of an integrity unit probe after he was allegedly caught with a bag of cocaine on Mad Monday - but the league was never told.

Daine Laurie was charged by police after the car he was a passenger in was stopped on Memorial Ave in Penrith about 11.10am on September 29, the morning after his then-Panthers side lost a nail biting preliminary final 16-14 to the Brisbane Broncos.

When officers searched the vehicle they allegedly found a bag with 0.37g of cocaine, and charged Laurie with possessing a prohibited drug.

Laurie was set to face Penrith Local Court on November 10, but instead police dropped the charge against him that day and the matter was dismissed.

But The Daily Telegraph can reveal the NRL's integrity unit is currently looking into whether it should have been notified of Laurie being charged, with questions now surrounding what that means for him and his former club the Panthers, ahead of his potential debut for the Canberra Raiders this weekend.

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Stephen Larkham may follow Ricky Stuart's lead as James Slipper nears Super Rugby appearance record during a crucial match.

The Canberra Times

They are two of the greatest playmakers either code has ever seen and both are desperate to bring grand final glory to Canberra. Now could Stephen Larkham take a page out of Ricky Stuart's playbook?

That's the question facing the ACT Brumbies mentor with James Slipper on the verge of levelling the record for the most Super Rugby appearances in history.

Saturday night's clash with the Queensland Reds will mark Slipper's 202^nd Super Rugby game, equalling the record set by Crusaders great Wyatt Crockett.

That would put Slipper on course to break the record in Fiji next week - unless Larkham follows the precedent set by Canberra Raiders coach Stuart during Jarrod Croker's 300-game celebrations three years ago.

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Canterbury's Matt Burton is interested in pursuing an NFL punting career, impressing Raiders players after kicking a ball into their facility.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Las Vegas: Canterbury super boot Matt Burton is open to chasing a career in the NFL as a punter, saying: "I feel like I could definitely crack it if I was to come over here."

Burton made headlines last week when he kicked a ball into the roof of the Las Vegas Raiders' indoor training facility.

Raiders' NFL players watched the video footage and were quick to point out that it was not a regular occurrence.

"If he wanted to get into this sport, it would be a great story. If he wanted to come over here, someone is going to give him a chance," Raiders guard Caleb Rogers said.

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