We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
Eighteen-year-old Ethan Strange is set to make his NRL debut with Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart backing the prodigy to shine in a top four showdown with Melbourne.
Strange will fill the void left by Seb Kris in the centres for Canberra's clash with the Storm in Melbourne on Sunday.
The rising star turned heads in the under-19s State of Origin clash last month with a hat-trick and two try assists setting him up to claim man of the match honours.
Titans hooker Sam Verrills has been ruled out for the rest of the season to undergo clean-out surgery in readiness for 2024.
Verrills has had an interrupted first season on the Gold Coast, and with the team's finals hopes all but over, the club have elected to cut the 24-year-old's 2023 campaign short in readiness for next season.
It's a huge blow for the Green Machine's top four hopes, with Kris having been one of the Raiders' best this season.
Meanwhile, the Raiders have confirmed outside back Sebastian Kris could miss the rest of the regular season with a hamstring injury.
Michael Maguire says Canberra's finals destiny is in their own hands, dubbing Corey Parker "the Queensland version of Gus Gould" after he declared the Raiders will not win again this season.
The Raiders are clinging to their top four hopes, sitting fifth on the NRL ladder despite a points differential of -74, which is the fifth-worst in the competition.
Canberra snuck home by four points against the last-placed Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium on Sunday and now turn their attention to the Melbourne Storm in a game which could make or break their dream of a top four finish.