Jordan Rapana to fullback for Canberra Raiders' imposing NRL road trip to face Penrith Panthers

Rapana will shift to fullback for Canberra's clash with the Penrith Panthers at Panthers Stadium on Sunday, with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad moving to the bench and Xavier Savage earning a start on the wing.

Harry Rushton is in line to make his NRL debut off the bench against the reigning premiers, having been named in the No. 15 jersey ahead of Emre Guler.

Stuart hopes the changes can go some way towards reviving Canberra's season having slumped to a 2-4 record. Their two wins have come off the back of get out of jail cards, and the task ahead is as imposing as they come.

You have to go all the way back to July 2019 to find the last time Penrith were knocked over on their home turf. It was against a Raiders side that would charge towards a drought-breaking grand final appearance.

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It feels so long ago that even in-form Raiders prop Joe Tapine admits "I don't remember that".

The Panthers have since won 20 home games on the trot, claimed last year's premiership and many pundits expect them to go back-to-back in the midst of an unbeaten start to the new season.

"They haven't lost at their home ground for a while which is a great feat. We've just got to go out firing. Everyone is not expecting us to do much against them but we've got belief in our group," Tapine said.

"They're a quality side and you really want to test yourself against quality sides. They're top of the table for a reason, they won the comp last year, so they're a great test.

"They're a quality side, they haven't lost this year. When you watch them, they look silky. We have to be on top of our game and we can't be doing what we've been doing.

"We're playing in patches, we're clocking off at certain times which is costing us games. It's tough, trying to find out what kind of areas it is and when we're doing it. It's frustrating. Every week it's the same thing. We've got to change something."

Tapine is perhaps one of the few who doesn't need to change after a stellar start. Stuart says Tapine, Josh Papalii and Jack Wighton have been leading the way and now it's time for their teammates to follow suit.

"I just feel like I had a bit of confidence going out of that Maori [All Stars] game this year," Tapine said.

"There was a bit of talk in the off-season that my performance was low last year, so there was a bit of motivation to show people I could play good this year, to show people I've got that ability."

NRL ROUND SEVEN

Sunday: Penrith Panthers v Canberra Raiders at Panthers Stadium, 4pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Jordan Rapana, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Semi Valemei, 5. Xavier Savage, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Brad Schneider, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Tom Starling, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Corey Harawira-Naera, 12. Elliott Whitehead (C), 13. Ryan Sutton. Interchange: 14. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 15. Harry Rushton, 16. Adam Elliott, 17. Corey Horsburgh. Reserves: 18. Hudson Young, 19. Matt Frawley, 20. Jarrod Croker, 21. Emre Guler, 22. Trey Mooney, 23. James Schiller, 24. Peter Hola.

Panthers squad: 1. Dylan Edwards, 2. Charlie Staines, 3. Izack Tago, 4. Stephen Crichton, 5. Taylan May, 6. Jarome Luai, 7. Nathan Cleary, 8. Matt Eisenhuth, 9. Apisai Koroisau, 10. James Fisher-Harris, 11. Viliame Kikau, 12. Liam Martin, 13. Isaah Yeo. Interchange: 14. Mitch Kenny, 15. Scott Sorensen, 16. Spencer Leniu, 17. Jaeman Salmon. Reserves: 18. Robert Jennings, 19. Chris Smith, 20. J'maine Hopgood, 21. Lindsay Smith, 22. Soni Luke, 23. Christian Crichton, 24. Sean O'Sullivan.

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