On the eve of their NRL season beginning, the Canberra Raiders have suffered a major blow with a veteran forward set to miss up to four weeks with a calf injury.
After not being named in the team list for Thursday's clash against the Newcastle Knights, Raiders captain Elliott Whitehead is expected to miss at least three or four weeks, per The Canberra Timesย andย NRL.com.
The club will run out a new-look team this week after the departures of several players, including Jack Wighton and Jarod Croker.
While Whitehead will be unavailable for the match, Ethan Strange has been given the keys to the club in the five-eighth role as Morgan Smithies makes his NRL debut after spending his career overseas in the Super League.
Xavier Savage will also make his NRL return on the wing, while Danny Levi has been named as the starting hooker edging out Tom Starling and Zac Woolford - the former will be on the bench, with the latter playing in the NSW Cup.
"Watching that second trial [Strange's] defence really impressed me. His tackling was amazing that day," Tapine said of rookie Ethan Strange via The Canberra Times.
"I like what I've seen with him too," Tapine added on Smithies.
"He's just one of those workhorses that does all the gritty work that probably the fans might not notice that we do.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what he does."
