Canberra Raiders lose star Natty Nicholson for three months due to an ankle injury and surgery.
The Canberra Raiders will be without star import Natty Nicholson for three months in a hammer blow to their NRL premiership credentials. The Raiders' charmed run to the top four has hit an early roadblock, with Englishman Nicholson suffering an ankle injury and fibula fracture in last weekend's loss to Canterbury.
The Raiders revealed on Tuesday that the back-rower is set to undergo surgery and will miss up to 12 weeks with a syndesmosis injury. Nicholson has been a revelation since arriving in Canberra from Super League club Warrington in the off-season.
The 21-year-old had forced his way into Ricky Stuart's starting side, scoring five tries in just nine games. Along with Hudson Young, he'd formed a formidable back-row pairing for the Green Machine.