Canberra have turned to the deep freeze as they prepare to step into the NRL cauldron against Brisbane on a five-day turnaround.
The Raiders have been given a light week leading up to Friday night’s clash against the Broncos as they try to improve their poor record at Suncorp Stadium, a venue where they have beaten the Broncos once since 2004.
Canberra skipper Jarrod Croker admitted the short break since last Sunday’s victory over Wests Tigers was tough but said the side has focused its efforts on recovery during the week.
He said the Raiders had spent time in ice baths and cryotherapy – a freezing treatment in which players stand for three minutes in a liquid nitrogen chamber with temperatures of up to -150C.
“It seems to work well,” Croker said.
“I’ve noticed I’ve been sleeping pretty well which is another big thing for recovery.
“We’ve had a short week so it’s more about building momentum on what we started in the second half last week.”
Croker made an earlier-than-expected return from a knee injury against the Tigers and continued his prolific point scoring, contributing 18 to the Raiders’ tally of 46.
“The knee pulled up fine,” Croker said.
“It felt fine in the game, it’s just going to take a few more matches and a few more weeks to get back to match fitness.”
The Broncos have had three extra days to prepare for the match and have publicly stated their intention to use halves Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt to run the massive Canberra pack ragged.
“They’ve come out and said it so good luck to them,” Croker said.
“If we can have our even share of ball and complete our sets, I’m sure our big boys are fit enough to go the distance.”
After making his comeback to the NRL last week, Dave Taylor is set to retain his spot on the bench to face the club where he started his career.
The former Queensland representative will provide support for fellow wrecking balls Shannon Boyd and Junior Paulo, with all three weighing in at more than 120kgs.
Kiwi Test forward Joseph Tapine has been added to the extended bench a little more than two weeks after having surgery on a broken finger suffered in the Raiders’ season-opening loss to the Cowboys.
