The Dragons will be without three of their key men as they look to bounce back from last week's big loss in their clash with the Raiders.
Skipper Ben Hunt will miss the game due to Origin duties, while Tyrell Sloan and Jaydn Su'A are out injured.
MATCH CENTRE: Dragons vs Raiders live score, stats, video
It means interim coach Ryan Carr has turned to Paul Turner to make his club debut at fullback, while Billy Burns comes in at second row after an impressive performanc in NSW Cup last week.
LIVE NRL: Depleted Dragons face big challenge in clash with Ricky's red-hot Raiders
'I want him to play with more anger': Hoppa snr says star son too nice for his own good
John Hopoate rates son Albert the kindest of his 11 kids.
He's even nicer than [son] Will, Hopoate snr said. I just wish Albert was a bit more like me - I want him to play with a bit more anger and grunt.
The 22-year-old Hopoate has proven a revelation for the Raiders this year, so much so that he has kept representative winger Nick Cotric out of the starting side, and will pose a considerable threat again against St George Illawarra on Friday night.
Hopoate snr had a controversial league career, winning a premiership with Manly in 1996 and representing NSW and Australia, but also serving a total of 45 weeks in suspensions,...
Canberra Raiders in good hands with 87-year-old masseur
Someone should get Ricky Stuart on the phone and ask him to re-hire massage therapist Bob Griffin because the Raiders have never won a grand final without him. The 87-year-old, who massaged the Raiders for 23 years, still massages on game day at his local Queanbeyan Tigers Club.
He has come out of retirement once before, when the Raiders asked him back, so anything's possible. The funny thing is, Bob has never watched an entire game of football.
It get real nervous, he says. I've seen bits of games but I usually go to the dressing room before the end. I've never seen them get beaten.
When we caught up with Bob, he was...
