Canberra forward and New Zealand international Joe Tapine has been ruled out for 12 weeks with an ankle injury.
Tapine limped from the field in the Raiders’ NRL win against Parramatta last Sunday and scans revealed serious ligament damage on Monday.
He will miss Canberra’s match against Brisbane on Sunday and won’t return until at least round 15.
It continues an injury-plagued three years for the Kiwi who has played just three of five games this season.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has at least been able to call on star English recruits John Bateman and Ryan Sutton to fill the void and they’ll be needed again against a desperate Broncos side.
While the Raiders have flown out of the blocks with a 4-1 record in 2019 – their best start to a season in 14 years – the Broncos are 1-4.
Looking for a fourth straight win when they clash at GIO Stadium, Raiders co-captain Jarrod Croker said he expected the bounce back factor to be significant for the struggling Brisbane side.
“They’ve been copping a lot, the Broncos,” Croker said.
“But they’re a big club, a powerful club. They’re always a very strong team and I know they’re no different this year. They’ve got a great forward pack and some quality halves and outside backs.
“They’ve lost a few on the bell and that just makes them more dangerous and more desperate.”