We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
Give the banana farmer from North Queensland another crack in State of Origin.
That was the message from Brisbane coach Kevin Walters who insists Broncos prop Thomas Flegler is ready to be given his second Queensland jumper after the retirement of Maroons legend Josh Papalii.
Papalii stepped down from State of Origin football on Thursday after playing 23 games for the Maroons in the front-row, and 23-year-old Flegler is one of a suite of middle forwards in the mix to come into the side.
Former Hunslet player Rowland Kaye has been handed a four-year ban from all sports after being found guilty of using steroids.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) revealed that Kaye had tested positive for a metabolite that is commonly found in banned steroids oxymetholone and methasterone in January 2022.
Kaye was tested during Hunslet training after joining the club from West Wales Raiders.
Josh Papalii's sudden State of Origin retirement has blown open the race for selection in Queensland's forward pack, as coach Billy Slater prepares to choose from a competitive field for the series opener.
Papalii, 31, announced his shock retirement from the Origin arena on Thursday, less than two weeks before Game One at Adelaide Oval on May 31.
The Canberra veteran has been an automatic inclusion in the Maroons' set-up in recent seasons, having played every game for which he was available since the beginning of the 2017 series.