Raider Papalii raring for Manly NRL clash

Canberra hooker Josh Hodgson has no doubt about Josh Papalii's condition to face Manly despite a quick turnaround from State of Origin.

State of Origin might have robbed Manly of one of their star forwards, but Canberra's Josh Papalii will have no problems backing up for Sunday's NRL clash.

Sea Eagles prop Nate Myles has all but been ruled out of the match, with scans on Thursday confirming a torn ligament in his elbow.

Fellow forward Jake Trbojevic emerged unscathed from Wednesday night's series opener, as did Queensland's Papalii, the Raiders' only Origin player.

Canberra hooker Josh Hodgson said he had no doubts about Papalii's ability to back up from a bruising encounter.

"I'm sure he's a little bit dusty, a little bit banged up after the game," Hodgson said.

"(But) he's a smart guy and he's a professional.

"He knows how to look after his body and he wouldn't put his hand up if he wasn't right so I'm sure he'll be all good."

The Raiders will be out to avenge a round-eight golden-point loss when they meet the Sea Eagles on Sunday at Lottoland.

A third-consecutive win will build more momentum for the Raiders, who sit eighth and are rebuilding their season after a few earlier speed bumps.

"The past couple of weeks, we've really simplified things," Hodgson said.

He said the combination of five-eighth Blake Austin and halfback Aidan Sezer had been a big factor in their past two victories.

"Aidan's stepped up massively in terms of directing us around the park when we get close to their line," Hodgson said.

"I thought we've been good the last couple of weeks but there's still a lot of room for improvement."

Hodgson said an improved completion rate and getting the ball to bullocking forwards Shannon Boyd, Junior Paulo, Sia Soliola and Joe Tapine more regularly were also behind the Raiders' improvement.

And the addition of 112kg Papalii to their forward stocks is another major boost.

"When you've got people like that carrying the ball, they're tough to stop," Hodgson said.

"The more times you can get the ball in their hands, the better."


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world