Waqa Blake out of Penrith’s NRL semi

Penrith centre Waqa Blake has been ruled out of Saturday’s NRL semi-final with Canberra at GIO Stadium due to a shoulder injury.

Zak Hardaker has been named to replace Blake, who picked up the injury in last week’s elimination final win over Canterbury.

Moses Leota will take Hardaker’s spot on the bench.

The Raiders, meanwhile, have recalled prop Paul Vaughan to the bench after Clay Priest slipped and broke his ankle at training on Wednesday night.

As confirmed on Friday, star hooker Josh Hodgson (ankle) and five-eighth Blake Austin (hand) will also play having recovered from injury.

The winner of the match will face Melbourne in the second preliminary final at AAMI Park next Saturday.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!