Canberra Raiders winger Jordan Rapana will almost certainly start the season on the sidelines after being hit with a Grade 1 shoulder charge offence for a hit on David Fifita during Saturday night's All Stars game.
The shot, which occured in the 13th minute of the game, was one of two incidents Rapana was put on report for during the game.
The other, for a shoulder charge which sparked a melee between the two teams that almost spilt over into the grandstand, saw both Rapana and Andrew Fifita given their marching orders, however, neither player was charged by the NRL for the incident.
Rapana's hit on Fifita however, who had broken the line, will have the explosive 32-year-old winger looking at a fortnight on the sidelines whether he pleads guilty and takes the early plea, or fights at the judiciary and loses.
It means the only way Rapana will start the season on field for the Raiders is by fighting at the judiciary and winning.
The shot on Fifita left him winded and on the sidelines for a large chunk of the game. He is tipped to be fit for Round 1 however.
According to The Canberra Times, Rapana is also looking at an additional week's suspension thanks to an off-season drink driving charge, which will mean he could miss the first three rounds of the season.
Rapana's loss is another blow to the outside back depth of the Raiders, with Harley Smith-Shields recently injuring his ACL, which will stop him from making it onto the field all season.
It means the signing of Nick Cotric becomes all the more important, with Xavier Savage, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Sebastian Kris, Matthew Timoko and Jarrod Croker the other players in line for a spot when the Raiders open their season on Friday, March 11 against the Cronulla Sharks at home.
Rapana will make his decision on whether to fight the charge, or take the early guilty plea by tomorrow at midday.
