In shock news for Raiders fans, the club are preparing to throw their hat in the ring for out-of-favour Dragons fullback Matt Dufty.
Dufty, who has been told by St. George Illawarra that he will not be required at the club beyond this season, is off-contract at the end of the year and has a few suitors.
According to Danny Weidler on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast, the Raiders are raring to have a crack at securing the 25-year-old's signature.
“Canberra are genuinely interested. They see him quite possibly as their fullback for next year and they’re very interested in signing him," he said.
Dufty has had a great year for the Dragons in his fifth year for the side, scoring ten tries for his side in the 11 appearances he has made so far.
His latest performance was a brilliant one, scoring two tries and racking up five try assists in the sides 52-24 win over the Broncos on Thursday.
According to Weidler, Canterbury-Bankstown and Brisbane are also interested, but the Raiders are by all accounts preparing to accomodate the Sydney native.
“I think Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad might end up in the centres. He’s viewed as a very good player by Canberra but his speed isn’t the same as a lot of other fullbacks so they see him as a very strong centre.
“So that could happen and that’s how you could see Dufty, if he does go to Canberra, end up at fullback.”
Nicoll-Klokstad hasn't featured for Ricky Stuart's side since Round 5 against the Panthers when he sustained a neck injury, and will not feature again in season 2021 off the back of it.
However, for next season should Canberra secure Dufty, then the Raiders could be a formidable force to be reckoned with.
As for this season, Stuart's side are languishing down in 13th, with a bottom half finish very much on the cards for the side.
The sudden incident with centre Curtis Scott and the subsequent standing down of the 23-year-old would not have helped the Raiders' circumstances either.
However, this round should spell a win for the Green Machine, with the Broncos at home on Saturday night surely proving a fruitful outing should they play well.