NRL: Canberra Raiders star Jordan Rapana needs surgery

Rapana had scans on Monday and needs his knee cleaned out, but he should be right to return to training in the first week of January.

He's back from helping New Zealand to the semi-finals of the Rugby League World Cup, falling narrowly short of making the final.

The 32-year-old's off contract at the end of the season, which will be his 10th with the Green Machine.

Rapana starred for the Kiwis during their World Cup campaign, scoring four tries and converting 14 of his 18 shots at goal.

The Kiwis led their semi against Australia 14-10 at half-time, but were unable to hold on and eventually went down 16-14.

Rapana said it was a brutal game and decided the eventual World Cup winner - rather than the final itself.

He was full of praise for New Zealand coach Michael Maguire, who has now joined the Green Machine as an assistant coach.

"The true grand final for the World Cup was the week before," Rapana said.

"Whoever won that game was going to go on and win it regardless of whether it be Samoa or England.

"It was going to be an easy walk in the park that game. That semi against Australia was everything a World Cup final had - it was physical, it was a brutal game.

"It was an awesome six weeks. It was probably one of the best tours I've been a part of.

"I thought [Maguire] did a really good job with the team we had and it just wasn't our night that night."

That being said, Rapana was still full of praise for the job Samoa did to beat England in the semi and become the first tier-two nation to make the World Cup final.

He said they, along with Tonga, were an inspiration to all the smaller rugby league nations.

Rapana said the international game was on the improve and it was no longer just the big three countries dominating.

A host of Australian-born players - like Rapana's Raiders teammate Josh Papalii, Jarome Luai and Junior Paulo - opted to represent their Samoan heritage rather than the Kangaroos.

It was a similar theme for Tonga at the previous World Cup, with the Pacific island making the semi in 2017.

"It's awesome to see Samoa, a small nation, give so much hope to smaller nations. The game's growing and getting better," Rapana said.

"Probably four or five years ago it was always out of England, Australia and New Zealand.

"You knew it was going to be one of those three that was going to come through and take it out.

"To see them and even Tonga now doing consistently well gives hope to those smaller countries."

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Rapana said they were now at the tier-one standard and should be recognised as such.

The International Rugby League's reportedly considering whether to elevate Samoa and Tonga to tier one.

It would have the flow-on effect of meaning Samoan and Tongan players could no longer play State of Origin - unless the ARL also changed the eligibility rules surrounding Origin.

Samoa had Papalii from this year's Queensland Maroons, as well as Luai, Paulo and Stephen Crichton from the NSW Blues.

"A high percentage of players in the NRL are Tongan and Samoan heritage," Rapana said.

"We've seen what they can do on a world-class stage so I definitely believe they're genuine contenders and should be a tier-one nation now."

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