The Xavier Savage return that's causing Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart selection headaches

But it's creating mounting selection headaches for coach Ricky Stuart in the process.

Raiders half Brad Schneider kicked the ball into space and returning fullback Xavier Savage's afterburners clicked into gear.

The young gun was back up and running in Canberra's NSW Cup side after overcoming the broken jaw he suffered in the pre-season.

He'll have to wait until after the bye to get his next taste of football, with the Green Machine looking for revenge against the Dolphins in Wagga Wagga in a fortnight.

It took Savage just six minutes to get his name on the scoresheet and his pace regularly tested St George Illawarra's defence.

His jaw stood the test of several hard carries coming out of his own end, before he shifted to fullback for the final 15 minutes - where he looked confident under the high ball.

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Stuart will have some tough decisions to make if Savage comes back against the Dolphins.

It would make stand-in custodian Sebastian Kris available to return to the centres or the wing.

With Jordan Rapana (concussion) likely to return as well, it will make for a battle for places over the next two weeks.

Does one of Jarrod Croker or Matt Timoko make way for Kris? Does Albert Hopoate hang onto his spot on the wing?

Muddying the waters was the fact it was Kris's best game at fullback - scoring a try, making a try-saving tackle and running for 185 metres.

Croker's added his 294 NRL games of experience to help bolster the defence, with the senior players all still wanting him in the side.

Timoko looked good on the other edge, while Albert Hopoate has deputised well on the wing.

Nick Cotric's (hamstring) fitness could make for one less selection headache for Stuart.

Meanwhile, Raiders half Matt Frawley (hand) said surgery went well and he would be out for about four more weeks.

Stuart said in the press conference his co-captain Elliott Whitehead wouldn't talk about his illness in the lead-up to the game. And he almost didn't.

"Tired" was all he said about how he was feeling after the two days he spent in bed losing about five kilograms in bodyweight in the process.

It wasn't until the captain's run on Saturday that he got back to training.

Thankfully, Stuart filled in a few of the gaps the humble Whitehead had left.

"Elliott won't tell you. He's been in bed for two days. He only trained [Saturday]. He's lost four-and-a-half to five kilos from a virus he had," Stuart said.

"And it was one of those wins where it was just gritty and gutsy - and it always is against the Dragons."

It was a far cry from some of the cow paddocks the Raiders have played on in recent weeks, with Canberra Stadium looking more like a billiard table.

Despite the rain overnight, and a NSW Cup game on beforehand, the surface was sensational.

That's in stark contrast to both Lang Park and Newcastle, where there were almost more torn up sods of grass than those still attached to the ground.

Brisbane's home ground was in such poor shape the NRL has brought in its own turf expert to check the ground ahead of Magic Round, which was only three weeks away.

Maybe they could relocate all eight games to Canberra Stadium where the surface is so good it could handle a stampede let alone a weekend of football.

Although they might need to have a look at the scoreboard before that happens.

It was desperately trying to make the game seem more exciting than it actually was - at one point it had the Raiders leading 156-4. If only.

Hudson Young not only scored a brilliant try, but he showed his deft kicking game again as well.

It started a goal-line drop-out frenzy with firstly his kick forcing the Dragons into one.

Then new dad Joe Tapine got in on the act with one himself, before halfback Jamal Fogarty finally produced one as well - salvaging some pride back for the backs.

It was the last thing an under-fire Dragons team, and coach Anthony Griffin, needed - going into the game with one interchange tied behind their back.

But that's what they did with a teamsheet bungle costing them one interchange before a ball had even been kicked off.

Moses Mbye started instead of hooker Jacob Liddle, despite the latter being named in the starting side.

Griffin's been under the pump again after a slow start to the season as the pressure to keep his job continued to mount.

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