Canberra’s injured players have returned ahead of schedule to be a part of the Raiders‘ biggest regular-season home game in more than a decade with skipper Jarrod Croker playing his 300th NRL match.  

Second-rower Elliott Whitehead and fullback Sebastian Kris were named to return from injuries earlier than expected for Friday’s clash against the NZ Warriors. 

It’s going to be a bumper night at GIO Stadium with more than 20,000 tickets already sold and a chance to pack in more than 21,000 fans for the biggest regular-season game since 2006.

Coach Ricky Stuart admitted the lure of playing in Croker’s milestone had inspired the duo’s speedy rehabilitation with Whitehead, in particular, returning from a pectoral injury just a fortnight after initially being slated to miss at least a month.

“We’re not taking a risk with them, we wouldn’t do that, but I’d be lying to say they didn’t work overtime in rehab over the last fortnight knowing this game was going to be a real close call,” Stuart said.

“(Rehabilitation coach) Leigh Woodbridge spoke to me two weeks ago about trying to make every game a 300th for someone because of the work ethic all the guys in rehab have put in to get back for this game.

“They’ve been really pushing themselves to get back for this game which again shows you the respect they have for their captain.”

Once the emotion of Croker’s 300th is put to one side, the Warriors shape as a tricky test for a Canberra side that’s won seven of their last eight games.

But they haven’t won by more than eight points in that run and the sole loss was a 28-point walloping at the hands of Manly, leaving some pundits unconvinced about their premiership credentials.

Stuart hoped Croker’s milestone would bring the best out of his troops as they continue to climb into top-four calculations.

He noted co-captain Whitehead had dropped his title for the week to let the Canberra champion receive all the deserved limelight.

“We’ve prepared well to play a game of football, we’ve certainly maintained our focus on what our job is,” he said.

“A packed-out stadium for Jarrod Croker was the vision … it’s a one-off, it’s something I think we’ll be talking about for a long time.

“His humility has probably stemmed a little bit of the profile he deserves from outside this club. He’s a very humble bloke who just wants to get on with the game.

“I don’t know if you’ve seen the team sheets but there’s only one captain this weekend, and that’s a wonderful gesture … it’s the type of people we have in our club, it’s all about their mates.”

By Alex Mitchell in Canberra

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