Canberra Raiders NRL News

Fox League

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon has revealed why he opted against shifting Dally M winner Nicho Hynes to fullback for Saturday's must-win game against the Rabbitohs in Perth.

Hynes put his hand up to move to fullback to replace the injured Will Kennedy, who could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury he suffered in last week's loss to Penrith.

Hynes has plenty of experience in the role, having played there a fair bit with Melbourne, but has only worn the No.1 jersey once at Cronulla that resulted in a 30-10 loss to Canberra last season.

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Zero Tackle

Canberra Raiders outside back Harley Smith-Shields reportedly had his car packed and was ready to drive to Sydney, only for a loan deal to be pulled off the table at the last minute.

The Eels, who are looking for an edge on the run to the finals, reportedly had the Raiders' back in their sights on loan for the remainder of the season.

Smith-Shields is contracted in the nation's capital until the end of the year, and while all the talk was that he would feature in the best 17 last year, an injury ultimately prevented him from making it onto the field in the top grade.

The back, who can play wing, centre and fullback, would have added plenty to the depth at Parramatta, but according to Fox Sports, the Parramatta board pulled the offer off the table despite the desire of coach Brad Arthur to add him to the squad for the remainder of 2023.

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Zero Tackle

After reports emerged that they were interested in star Panthers playmaker Jarome Luai, the Canberra Raiders have closed the door on the idea, exiting the race for his services.

Off-contract at the end of next season and free to negotiate with clubs from November 1, Jarome Luai will become the next big name, with multiple clubs aiming to poach him from the Panthers, a team that has seen him claim two NRL premierships in 2021 and 2022.

As the Raiders have been one of the clubs brought into the conversation for Luai due to the departure of Jack Wighton, The Daily Telegraph is reporting that the club has closed the door on the idea after speaking with senior management at Canberra.

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