Rugby League News | Raidercast

Tue, 8th September, 2026, 16:14 AEST
North Queensland Cowboys star Jeremiah Nanai under injury cloud ahead of NRL finals shootout with Sharks
Jeremiah Nanai's fitness is uncertain; he must pass a test to play against the Sharks Saturday.
The Australian
Star backrower Jeremiah Nanai remains under an injury cloud as the Cowboys prepare for their Saturday night shootout with the Sharks in Sydney.
Nanai must pass a final fitness test on Wednesday to be given the green light despite being named to return alongside Zac Laybutt and Griffin Neame.
North Queensland coach Todd Payten said Neame was a certainty to start after missing the round 27 defeat to Canberra.
"Griff is 100 per cent playing, his body is far better than it was this time last week, so he's really appreciative of the rest," Payten said.
"'Miah (Nanai) has got (Wednesday) to prove his fitness. Every indication has been really positive at the moment.
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Sun, 6th September, 2026, 17:45 AEST
'A star is born': Raiders debutant breaks all-time record as Cowboys face finals blow
Coby Black's debut led Raiders to a 50-30 win over Cowboys, scoring 26 points and setting an NRL debut record.
Fox League
Canberra's rookie halfback Coby Black enjoyed a dream debut as the Raiders stunned the finals-bound Cowboys with a 50-30 ambush in Townsville.
Black set a new NRL record for the most points scored on debut with a try in each half, kicking all nine of his attempts at goal to finish with a 26-point individual haul.
The 20-year-old playmaker became Raider No.413 on the same night Raider No.300 Josh Papali'i bowed out as a winner.
It was a chaotic kick-off as Reuben Cotter was sin-binned on the first play of the game for a reckless high tackle on the retiring legend, forcing both off the field for a brief period.
The Cowboys struggled to contain the explosive speed of Kaeo Weekes and Cairns junior Xavier Savage, with the pair playing a major part in Canberra's red-hot start as the Raiders scored five first-half tries.
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Sun, 6th September, 2026, 14:39 AEST
Cowboys skipper learns finals fate after judiciary hand down high shot verdict
Reuben Cotter will miss finals against Cronulla after receiving a one-game ban for a high tackle on Josh Papalii.
Fox League
Reuben Cotter is set to miss North Queensland's must-win finals clash against Cronulla after the Cowboys co-captain was sent to the sin bin for a high shot on Josh Papalii in the opening stages of Saturday's loss to the Raiders.
Cotter looked to make a statement early in the clash but instead just got his timing wrong, with the Queensland Maroons representative collecting Papalii high.
The retiring Raiders front rower left the field for a head injury assessment while Cotter was given his marching orders, with the Cowboys star hit with a grade two careless high tackle charge. He faces a one-game ban with an early plea, which will extend to two games if he fights the charge and is unsuccessful.
"The thing here with Cotter is he plants his feet," former Roosters forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves said on Fox League's Super Saturday.
"Obviously there's a lot of emotion in this first carry. The big man takes the carry, rolls into the tackle and Reuben Cotter plants both feet, jumps directly and hits him flush. He said he copped one flush on the chin... I do see him potentially missing a week or two.
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North Queensland Cowboys star Jeremiah Nanai under injury cloud ahead of NRL finals shootout with Sharks

'A star is born': Raiders debutant breaks all-time record as Cowboys face finals blow

Cowboys skipper learns finals fate after judiciary hand down high shot verdict

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