Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has green-lit the return of fullback Jordan Rapana for Magic Round on Friday, which will cause an intriguing backline reshuffle.
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Rapana, Chevy Stewart and even Sebastian Kris are all possibilities to wear the No.1 jersey against the Canterbury Bulldogs at Lang Park, but Stuart has seemingly locked in Rapana for the pivotal role after five weeks out.
The 34-year-old underwent minor surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee in early April following the Raiders' win over the Eels in round five.
"Jordan Rapana will be back this week and he'll give us a little bit of experience in a key position," Stuart said on Nine's Sunday Footy Show.
"It was an opportunity to give younger players the chance to play and Chevy Stewart is one of those boys. He got three games in a really, really tough environment, and I gave him a break last week and he had the week off this week, and for an 18-year-old playing a really tough, physical position, it was timely.
"You only get the experience by being there. Those younger players, they're now finding their way and over the next 18 months they're going to see how important this early part of their career was towards their longevity."
Stuart revealed Rapana had been badgering him to return last weekend for their rousing victory over Manly, but he held off to give his veteran an extra two weeks to be cherry ripe.
Rapana came into the season as the Green Machine's first-choice No.1 and excelled in the role until he suffered his knee injury.
He's set to return against the Bulldogs at fullback, but he could also be an option on the wing if Stuart prefers to ease him back into NRL action. That's if it's possible for Rapana to ease into anything - given his heavy metal approach to football.
Stewart is another option to come back after being rested the last two weeks for the trip to Brookvale and over the bye.
The teen has shown he's got a big NRL future at fullback - especially with the way he bounced back from a tough first half in a loss against Brisbane.
Stewart is available for selection again for Magic Round, but with Rapana's return - at wing or in the No.1 jersey - and the more experienced Albert Hopoate and Seb Kris filling in well at fullback against Manly, the youngster is most likely to be squeezed out.
Kris ran for 206 metres and made three tackle busts on a sodden Brookvale. The versatile 25-year-old would be expected to return to the centres and his partnership with winger and mate Xavier Savage against the Bulldogs.
But even if Stewart goes back to NSW Cup, Rapana's impending return will still lead to a backline reshuffle involving Hopoate, Savage and Nick Cotric.
Kris was unsure what would happen when the players returned from a few days off to freshen up before the trip to Queensland.
"As I always say I'm happy to do whatever's needed for the team, but it was good to get back there and get my hands on the ball a bit more," he said.
"Not too sure [what will happen], to be honest. I just like to enjoy my break and when I get back into training and start to think about it. It's good that we have that depth in case one of us does go down we've got another one or two people to fill that spot."
The Raiders had plenty of momentum coming out of the Manly win, having stormed back from 20-0 in the first half to win 26-24.
And Kris was confident they could keep that going when they returned after the bye - rather than lose it after the week off.
"I think we can and we can also take some confidence out of it," Kris said.
"We get four points for that win essentially. We'll bounce back after our break. It's always good after a win, especially off the back of our week before that [losing to Cronulla]. We're proud of what we did and how we bounced back."