Josh Papalii shoulders his way to a new Canberra Raiders deal

Stuart had the luxury of resting Papalii for the entire second half in the big win over St George Illawarra - the Canberra coach confirming his AC joint was fine.

In even better news, Stuart confirmed Papalii had penned a two-year extension, which keeps him in Canberra until at least the end of 2024.

Raiders veteran Sia Soliola's also close to signing a one-year extension, with both expected to be announced early this week.

Papalii sent a massive scare through the ACT last week when he was unable to complete the game against the Sydney Roosters due to the shoulder problem.

The shoulder got a good test when he put a big hit on Dragons lock Cameron McInnes, forcing the ball loose in the process.

"I think he wanted an ice cream. I said no," Stuart joked when asked about Papalii appearing eager to get back on the field. "Fortunately I could give him that time off. Nothing medical. I wouldn't have played him today if he wasn't right to play, but he was fit and he wanted to play.

"He was really eager to play. That's Papa. He's just signed a new contract, he's really excited. He deserved that time off today. He's always got a turning point, a moment in him, Papa. All the good players do."

Stuart said it defined the type of person Soliola was that he was willing to be the ball boy for the game - at 34.

Soliola will play the New Zealand Warriors next week as he continues his recovery from a horrific face injury.

"I'm going to try and fit him in somewhere next week to give him some minutes going into the back end of the season. He was available this week," Stuart said.