We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
Queensland forward Josh Papalii has admitted that he “cried all week” ahead of his 250th NRL match for the Canberra Raiders.
Since making his first-grade debut in 2011, Papalii has become Canberra’s third-most capped player in history, sitting behind Jason and Jarrod Croker on the all-time list.
The 30-year-old celebrated his 250th game with a try against South Sydney on Sunday afternoon, with the Raiders claiming a comprehensive 32-12 victory at Dubbo’s Apex Oval.
The saying goes, “a trophy carries dust; memories last forever”.
The Junee Diesels’ trophy cabinet will see season 2022 as a year of just that – dust collection, with memories the only reminder of what could have been.
Earlier this year, unable to field a full squad of players for first grade, the once-mighty rugby league team had to accept the Group 9 (competition) ruling that they would not be a part of this year’s competition.
The Canberra Raiders admit they’ve been frustrated by the instability in their spine this season but are confident they can win without Origin star Jack Wighton this Sunday.
Wighton has missed two games through suspension this year but the Raiders won both and presented with a chance to close in on the top eight, the Canberrans are confident they can do the same against the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
“We won both weeks when Jack wasn’t there, so it gave us massive confidence that when he’s not there, we can still win,” forward Hudson Young said.