Canberra powerhouse forward Josh Papalii may yet play for the Raiders in Saturday’s NRL match against St George Illawarra after being cleared of serious injury to his shoulder.
The Queensland State of Origin prop hurt a shoulder in last Saturday’s loss to the Sydney Roosters, missing the entire second half of the 18-6 defeat.
It was feared the 28-year-old may have suffered a serious AC joint injury but scans have cleared him of significant damage.
In a statement released on Monday, the Raiders said Papalii would be monitored during the week to determine his fitness for the clash with the Dragons.
Raiders teammate Dunamis Lui said if Papalii doesn’t play, Canberra have shown they have the depth to fill the void.
“The thing I like about our squad is we’re all starters,” Lui said.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re starting or coming off the bench everyone knows what they need to do. It would just be another challenge for us this year.”
The Raiders have also confirmed centre Curtis Scott will miss another week as he continues to recover from a leg injury suffered in the round-16 win over Canterbury.