Canberra Raiders winger Jordan Rapana banned for three NRL games

Rapana has entered an early guilty plea for a grade one shoulder charge on North Queensland's Scott Drinkwater during the Canberra's one-point loss in Townsville to open their NRL season on Saturday.

The 33-year-old's third offence saw the club take an early plea, given Rapana would have been suspended for four matches if he fought the charge and lost.

Rapana will sidelined until a round five showdown with the Penrith Panthers at Canberra Stadium, keeping him out of the Raiders' clash with the new kids on the block this weekend.

Canberra will face Wayne Bennett's Dolphins on Saturday, who stunned the competition with a round one win over the Sydney Roosters in front of a raucous Brisbane crowd over the weekend.

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Albert Hopoate looms as an option to fill the void for coach Ricky Stuart, given he was included in Canberra's extended squad to face the Cowboys in round one.

Jed Stuart and James Schiller are waiting in the wings in Canberra's NSW Cup side, which boasts Jarrod Croker and Semi Valemei as its centre pairing.

Croker is eight games shy of the 300 milestone in the NRL, refusing to give up hope of a first grade recall after two years ruined by a torrid injury toll.

Schiller and Valemei have both got a taste of life in the top grade, while Stuart is one year into his rugby league return after he was plucked from the Queanbeyan Whites and thrown into Australia's sevens rugby side.

Canberra will head to Dolphin Stadium to face the NRL's expansion side, whose nerves have been settled by a first-up win over the Roosters under coach Wayne Bennett, who turned the Brisbane Broncos into a competition powerhouse in their early days.

"Of course it compares," Bennett said.

"The Broncos were game one. The Dolphins are game one. We played Manly that day and no-one gave us a chance. No one gave us a chance much here today.

"It's terribly significant. One of the most difficult things is to get that first win. It settles everything down.

"A loss here today would have put us under a hell of a lot more pressure. A loss years ago would have done the same to the Broncos.

"It was important, and the way we played was important."

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