Rising Raider Tom Starling has confirmed his intentions to sign a new deal tabled by the club last week, as reported by NRL.com.

After Josh Hodgson suffered a season-ending knee injury in July, Starling has emerged as a key player in the Raiders' forward pack.

The 22-year old joined the Green Machine from Newcastle at the end of the 2018 season and is finally starting to make an impact this year off the bench.

The Raiders have won five of their last six games to currently sit fifth on the ladder.

Speaking toย NRL.com,ย Starling said he hopes to sign off on a new contract in the coming weeks.

"I spoke to my manager and he got a deal from the club last week but we haven't really sat down and had a good look at it," Starling told NRL.com.
"I don't want any distractions coming with that sort of stuff and just want to focus on my role with a few games left remaining but I'm keen to stay on for sure.

"Obviously when Hodgo was playing it was hard to sit around knowing you were coming off contract and not really being able to prove yourself in reserve grade.

"There's a lot of boys in those tough positions now and I really feel sorry for them.

"They're only getting a little bit of training to prove themselves and a lot of it is going off what you did last year so I'm really grateful to just be getting an opportunity and doing a job for the team."

Starling said the injured Hodgson has played a key role for the Raiders behind the scenes.

"He could've easily said 'my season is over' and focused solely on his rehab but he's such a team-oriented fella," Starling said.

"He's in doing video and tipping me up on a few things, he's in every team meeting and doing everything he can.

"When he first went down we really stripped it right back for Liva [Siliva Havili] to start building on our combinations and defence.

"It took a bit of time and I've said it a couple of times but it's not an individual sport and everyone has to do their part for the team to succeed.

"We have to step up in Hodgo's absence and other key players have had to take on a bigger role."

The Raiders will search for their third-straight win when they face the Bulldogs at GIO Stadium on Sunday at 6.30pm AEST.