Sia Soliola to be given one more week before Canberra Raiders return

Especially when Queensland State-of-Origin star Josh Papalii is seeking out Stuart to insist on getting more minutes.

Stuart's primary focus is on beating the New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium on Sunday, which is why he won't be resting Papalii - who had a minor sprain of his AC joint against the Sydney Roosters two weeks ago.

It means Soliola might have to wait until the Raiders' round-20 clash against the Cronulla Sharks before his return from an horrific facial fracture.

Soliola's been ready to go for the past two weeks, but Stuart has taken a cautious approach.

Stuart originally said he would give Soliola minutes against the Warriors, but the form of his pack has him opting to wait until the final round of the home-and-away season before bringing the 34-year-old back.

Soliola's found himself competing for minutes against an in-form forward pack.

Papalii's arguably the best prop in the game, even after suffering a slight shoulder injury against the Roosters.

Joe Tapine's been in outstanding form, while Hudson Young played the best game of his short NRL career in the Raiders' demolition of St George Illawarra on the weekend.

Dunamis Lui has taken over from co-captain Josh Hodgson (knee) as the NRL one-on-one strip king, while Ryan Sutton's using his absence from last year's finals campaign to ensure he doesn't miss out again.

Corey Harawira-Naera has been excellent since his mid-season shift from Canterbury, but he needs more minutes - as does hooker Siliva Havili.

It had Stuart unsure if Soliola would get a run against the Warriors as the Raiders chase a top-four spot.

They're fifth and just one win behind the Roosters and Parramatta Eels with two rounds remaining.

"There's still a couple of days to go before we play, but at the moment I can't find a spot for him in regards to the 17," Stuart said on Wednesday.

"Not to say he won't play, but he'll definitely play against Cronulla.

"I want to give him some time before the play-offs, but it's just hard at the moment.

"All the boys played well last week. Guys that need minutes, such as Corey and 'Liva', they'll be able to get that hopefully this week.

"So we'll probably up the workload of Sia through our training here this week, but he'll play against Cronulla the week after."

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It's in stark contrast to the selection dilemmas Stuart's had for most of the season - where a massive injury toll has seen him give four youngsters their NRL debut in 2020.

Soliola hasn't played in two-and-a-half months since he suffered a Le Fort fracture in a heavy collision against the Dragons in round eight.

But Papalii's also looking for more work after committing to being a Raider for life, having not played beyond half-time in the past two games.

His shoulder injury prevented him against the Roosters, while Stuart had the luxury of resting him in the second half against the Dragons.

But he sought out Stuart to let him know he wants to return to his usual workload in the lead-up to the finals.

Stuart also wants to take advantage of any slip up from the Eels or Roosters over the next fortnight.

"I still want to win. I'm sure the Warriors will come down here wanting to win too," he said.

"If I had the opportunity to rest players this week or next week I would, but at the moment we don't.

"I'm in a position where I've got players telling me they want to play more minutes - and one of those is Josh.

"He made sure he emphasised that point very clearly to me yesterday that he'd like to play a few more minutes. It's a good sign."

NRL ROUND 19

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium, 2pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Semi Valemei, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Jordan Rapana, 5. Nick Cotric, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. George Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Siliva Havili, 10. Dunamis Lui, 11. John Bateman, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Joe Tapine. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ryan Sutton, 16. Hudson Young, 17. Corey Harawira-Naera. Reserves: 18. Sam Williams, 19. Matt Frawley, 20. Matt Timoko, 21. Sia Soliola.

Warriors squad: 1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (c), 2. Adam Pompey, 3. Adam Keighran, 4. Peta Hiku, 5. Hayze Perham, 6. Kodi Nikorima, 7. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 8. Lachlan Burr, 9. Karl Lawton, 10. Isaiah Papali'i, 11. Jack Murchie, 12. Tohu Harris, 13. Jazz Tevaga. Interchange: 14. Wayde Egan, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Eliesa Katoa, 17. Tom Ale. Reserves: 18. Josh Curran, 20. Paul Turner, 21. Gerard Beale, 22. Rocco Berry.