We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
Jordan Rapana's tone changes at the mere mention of a Canberra Raiders rebuild.
The Raiders fullback was in a jovial mood ahead of Canberra's NRL season opener in Newcastle on Thursday night - but it was as if he'd flicked a switch when he heard the R-word, because that's not what he's here for.
"Obviously we've got a lot of youngsters, but I'm not about rebuilding. We can still win a comp with the players we've got," Rapana said.
The lobbying to play in next year's Las Vegas-hosted NRL weekend is well under way, with Canberra adding their names to the growing list of teams keen to get involved.
Raiders CEO Don Furner confirmed his club would make a formal submission to the NRL, possibly within the next fortnight, hailing the success of the inaugural double-header.
In their bid, Canberra will lean on their shared "Raiders" moniker with the Las Vegas NFL team, hoping some of those fans would support the NRL team for the event.
Their interest comes...
The Canberra Raiders were ready to play in Las Vegas this year. And they've backed themselves to be one of the four teams next year as well.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner will submit their application to the NRL in the next four weeks to be part of the 2025 season opener in Sin City.
He was blown away by the maiden visit to Las Vegas on the weekend, having been there first hand to witness the NRL's first foray into the USA.