Why Canberra Raiders freak Hohepa Puru could step in for Corey Horsburgh at lock in NRL debut

Horsburgh is out for four matches after losing his shoulder charge appeal at the NRL judiciary, meaning the lock position needs to be filled.

Puru was named as a bench forward prior to Horsburgh's judiciary hearing, but now there's the potential for the 21-year-old to make his NRL debut and start at lock in place of 'Big Red'.

Raiders Zac Woolford and outside-back Nick Cotric were full of praise for Puru, having played alongside him in NSW Cup this year, and the hooker might have given a hint of what coach Ricky Stuart's plans are with the man nicknamed 'Pep'.

"[Puru's] a really good ball-playing lock, he's got a really good motor, so no doubt he can step into that 13 role and do a really good job for us," Woolford said on Wednesday.

Wherever Puru plays in Sunday's game against the Sharks where the Raiders can cement a home final, there's plenty of supporters eager to see him in action after a strong NSW Cup season.

The Blacktown product came to Canberra in pre-season on a development deal, and quickly impressed NSW Cup coach Justin Giteau. Puru has since become a fixture in reserve-grade, playing mostly at lock, but out of necessity he also played three games at hooker and even one start at five-eighth.

"He instantly brought first-rate attention to detail in every part of his game, whether it was training, video, or diet, and that's a big reason he's in the position he is," Giteau said. "I thought he would get to the NRL, it was just a matter of when.

"It hasn't been easy for him - there's been parts of his game that coaches have told him he needs to look at and in the last month he's worked hard, and because he's impressed Rick [Stuart] he now gets his shot.

"He was grateful for the opportunity, but at the same time he really deserves it."

Puru first caught Giteau's eye in Jersey Flegg, where he was tearing up for the Panthers. In the Flegg grand final last year Puru captained Penrith to victory, and had a man-of-the-match performance to boot. With the Panthers system stacked with talent, Puru saw opportunity to shine in Canberra and headed south.

To join Canberra Puru had to leave behind his family, including his identical twin Niwhai, but Giteau said he's adjusted to life in the capital well.

"He was definitely sought after, and we knew we were getting a quality player," Giteau said.

Giteau believes Puru's increased physicality has been what's convinced Stuart he's ready to make the jump to first grade. Averaging 133 metres a game, and making 872 tackles with three tries in 22 games, Puru's stats certainly compare to Horsburgh in average metres (113), total tackles (855) and tries (3).

"Skills-wise he's always been second-to-none, but it's definitely his physicality that's impressed Rick," Giteau said.

"I think if he was given the opportunity to start the game, I don't have any doubt that he'd be able to handle it, it might just come down to the situation and a tactical decision.

"He's an extremely talented ball-player, he can hit the short ball last minute, or he can hit out the back, he's got a nice show-and-go, and he can step off both feet, but mainly has a good right foot step.

"He's got the skill of a good half and the physicality of a forward, so he's definitely going to assist in attack.

"He's going to play many NRL games and I couldn't be happier for him."

Cronulla Sharks vs Canberra Raiders at Shark Park on Sunday 4pm

Raiders squad: 1. Jordan Rapana, 2. Sebastian Kris, 3. Jack Wighton, 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Nick Cotric, 6. Matt Frawley, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Emre Guler, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (C), 13. Corey Horsburgh. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ata Mariota, 16. Jarrod Croker (C), 17. Hohepa Puru. Reserves: 18. Pasami Saulo, 19. Albert Hopoate, 20. Trey Mooney, 21. Danny Levi, 22. James Schiller

Sharks squad: 1. Connor Tracey, 2. Sione Katoa, 3. Jesse Ramien, 4. Sifa Talakai, 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6. Braydon Trindall, 7. Nicho Hynes, 8. Braden Hamlin-Uele, 9. Blake Brailey, 10. Toby Rudolf, 11. Briton Nikora, 12. Wade Graham, 13. Cam McInnes. Interchange: 14. Jack Williams, 15. Royce Hunt, 16. Tom Hazelton, 17. Matt Moylan