Canberra winger Jordan Rapana will go under the knife to have a cyst removed from his knee following his World Cup campaign.
Rapana, who only missed New Zealand's pool stage victory over Jamaica at the World Cup, requires a clean out of his knee following the international tournament. It adds to a long list of Raiders' outside backs to require surgery in the past 12 months, including co-captain Jarrod Croker and youngster Harley Smith-Shields.
While the 32 year-old is a vital asset to the Green Machine, there's a host of young talent waiting to break through the ranks, the likes of Smith-Shields joined by Matt Timoko, Sebastian Kris, Semi Valemei, Xavier Savage, James Schiller and Albert Hopoate all 23 or younger.
However, it's unlikely that the veteran will miss any game time for the Green Machine, with Rapana scheduled to return to pre-season training in the New Year, an integral season for the off-contract winger.
The veteran debuted in the NRL over 14 years ago with the Gold Coast Titans, scoring five tries in five games an 18 year-old before a two-year Mormon mission followed by a brief flirtation with the 15-man code, lining up for the Western Force.
The Raiders' large component of young outside back's could draw curtains on Rapana's Canberra career, where he's featured in 175 NRL games across nine seasons for the club.
He'd originally left the nation's capital at the end of 2019 after a Grand Final appearance, only for the dawn of COVID to put a spanner in his Japanese rugby plans, and return him to Ricky Staurt's Raiders outfit.
The 32 year-old is expected to be fit and firing to take part in both of Canberra's trial games ahead of his tenth season at the club.