NRL 2022 draw: Canberra Raiders set to play Cronulla Sharks in round one

The Raiders will reportedly meet the Sharks on the first Saturday of the season in Canberra and the arrival of a new head coach and star players will add extra motivation for Cronulla.

Craig Fitzgibbon has taken the Sharks' reins and he has recruited the likes of Dale Finucane, Nico Hynes and Cameron McInnes to bolster the squad.

The good news for the Raiders is they have won their past six games in a row against the Sharks, unbeaten since a clash between the teams in 2018.

The Raiders will also roll out new faces of their own, confirming the signing of Adam Elliott this week and luring halfback Jamal Fogarty to the capital to steer the Green Machine next year.

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There has been speculation about Josh Hodgson's immediate playing future in Canberra, but there has been no movement on a deal that could see him play elsewhere next year.

The full NRL fixture list is set to be published in the coming days. The season will start on March 10.

The Raiders have hosted just three home games to start a season since 2013, winning all of those matches.

They will be keen to get a fast start to the 2022 campaign after missing the finals this year, falling just short of a top-eight berth in a disappoint season.

They struggled when they were at home this year, before being forced to move all games to Queensland because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Raiders won just two of seven games at home, which effectively crippled their finals chances.

Raiders officials have been speaking to the NRL about bringing blockbuster matches back to the capital in 2022 after being forced to play on the road for much of the past two seasons.

Raiders chief executive Don Furner said: "We've missed out on a fair bit over the past two years. We're working with the ACT government and pushing for some blockbuster games that we missed out on.

"We had some pretty good games at the end of this year, through no fault of anybody, but we had some good-drawing crowds - Manly and the St Georges - that we had to take away, plus we played in Campbelltown the year before.

"Day games in winter would be great and getting some blockbuster teams here would be good too - for the stadium and for us.

"I spoke to the ACT government about that last week - that we are pushing the NRL for some type of make-up of those games that we missed."

Meanwhile, former Raiders enforcer Dunamis Lui could find a new home at the Brisbane Broncos as the club casts a wide net to start its rebuild.

Broncos football manager Ben Ikin confirmed Brisbane has been in discussions about bringing in former Canberra prop Dunamis Lui.

The 31-year-old was unsigned by the Raider after their abject 2021 campaign, with the Samoa international since returning home to Brisbane.

Lui, who started his career with the Broncos and had spells with Manly and St George Illawarra, played 89 games for Canberra and represented Queensland in the 2020 State of Origin series.

Lui could be lining up on a pre-season training deal, with the Broncos to mix their stars with a small group of players still clinging to their dream of a future in the NRL.

While headline off-season recruits Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell won't be back for a few weeks yet, many of Brisbane's top-30 squad will return for testing on Monday before being thrown into the deep end on Tuesday.

Among those arriving at the club's Red Hill HQ are a group of players on $1000-a-week train-and-trial contracts.

For a club like the Broncos, it's a free hit on a player with potential who may have fallen out of favour or been hampered by injury.

For the player, it's an opportunity to impress, knowing that with a bit of hard work they can possibly land a longer-term contract and a return to the NRL.

"It's not a perfect science but you want guys with a mix of natural ability and a competitive desire," Ikin said.

"Sometimes that can diminish later in your career but with the right opportunity it can come bubbling back to the surface.

"The train-and-trial extends that opportunity for guys who are willing to work hard enough."

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