The Canberra Raiders‘ backline depth has copped a hit after promising centre Harley Smith-Shields suffered a season-ending ACL injury at training.

The Raiders have confirmed the 22-year-old, who has played nine NRL matches since debuting in 2020, faces surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation period after going down on Wednesday.

While Bailey Simonsson’s release to Parramatta in December was offset by the return of Nick Cotric from Canterbury, Canberra don’t have many experienced back-up centres.

Co-captain Jarrod Croker is aiming to be fit for round one having undergone stem-cell surgery to repair his knee in October but there are fears for the 31-year-old’s longevity.

With the Raiders having sacked Curtis Scott in August, a handful of youngsters are seemingly next up.

Matt Timoko and Sebastian Kris have shown themselves to be capable NRL players while the emergence of speedy 19-year-old fullback/winger Xavier Savage could force Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad into the frontline.

Canberra coach Ricky Stuart recently indicated Savage and Nicoll-Klokstad are competing for the No.1 jersey, though the latter has represented New Zealand as a centre.

The talented Albert Hopoate is also on the club’s books and could slot into the backs.

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