We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
Canberra's shock heat wave could enforce the NRL's full heat policy for extreme conditions for the Canberra Raiders-Cronulla Sharks game on Sunday.
It continues the Raiders' bizarre start to the season where they've gone from the heat and humidity of Townsville, to a torrential downpour in Brisbane and now extreme heat for their first home game of the season.
The forecast is for 36 degrees on Sunday and it's expected to still be about 34 when the Raiders-Sharks game kicks off at 6.15pm.
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart might not be a fan of the independent doctor in the NRL's bunker, but he's thrown his weight behind their mandatory 11-day stand-down policy.
The NRL announced it would now be compulsory for concussed players to sit out 11 days following a concussion, although some cases could be eligible for an exemption to return to play faster if they meet strict guidelines.
Newcastle star Kalyn Ponga will miss the Knights' clash against the Redcliffe Dolphins on Saturday after suffering his fourth concussion in 10 months last weekend.
There’s no panic in Canberra despite the Raiders‘ 0-2 start to the NRL season, with coach Ricky Stuart stating belief remains high among his squad.
Staring down the barrel of their worst start to a campaign in five years, Canberra have a difficult challenge on Sunday hosting dangerous Cronulla in their first home game of the year.
But Stuart said he hadn’t felt the need to emphasise the importance of the clash, insisting high effort levels throughout the opening losses assured him the team would click in the coming weeks and keep pace with the NRL pack.