The Canberra Raiders have stood Corey Harawira-Naera down from all playing and training as he continues his recovery from a scary medical incident in mid-2023.
The second-rower hasn't played since the incident which saw him suffer an on-field seizure during a game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Homebush.
While Harawira-Naera did recently receive clearance to pick up his training intensity, The Canberra Times report it was problematic for the forward to simply receive that clearance.
Harawira-Naera has had a defibrillator inserted in his chest to help with an underlying heart condition which is believed to have caused the seizure during last year's game, and it's unclear whether he will be ever able to return to the NRL with that being the case moving forward.
The second-rower has been acting as the Raiders' blue shirt trainer in the NSW Cup in recent times as the club search for ways to keep him involved, but News Corp have now reporting he has been stood down from all playing and training while he waits for a second opinion.
“In the opinion of our club CMO, Corey would be exposed by playing the game to a greater than usual risk of injury," a club spokesman told the publication.
“The Canberra Raiders believe that in order to protect Corey's health and wellbeing, and the club's position, we were left with no alternative but to stand him down from training and playing immediately.”
Coach Ricky Stuart said the club would continue using him as the blue shirt in the NSW Cup to keep him involved, with the forward currently on $600,000 per year and having two years to run on his current deal.
The Raiders are yet to apply for any form of salary cap dispensation for Harawira-Naera as any prospect of an NRL return continues to hang in the balance.