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Thursday, January 23, 2025

Rapana ready to play anywhere

Canberra Raiders star Jordan Rapana has put his hand up to cover any position heโ€™s required as he returns from a brief rugby union stint in Japan.

After officially signing with the Raiders last Thursday 7 May, Rapana said heโ€™s happy to be back in his โ€œhome away from homeโ€ and training with his much-loved teammates.

โ€œItโ€™s awesome to be back in the NRL; to come back to the Raiders is even more special.

โ€œFortunate enough I was able to get a deal back here at the Raiders, so Iโ€™m absolutely stoked.โ€

Having played mainly on the wing during his time in Canberra, many expected Rapana would slot straight back in when he returned, but with the form of young guns Nik Cotric and Bailey Simonsson, it may not be that simple.

โ€œBailey and Nik have earnt their spots. Theyโ€™ve played some great footy.

โ€œIโ€™ve spoken to Ricky (Stuart) and weโ€™ve talked about how I can cover where Iโ€™m needed. Iโ€™ve put on some extra weight from union so Iโ€™m sure I could cover in the forwards if need be,โ€ he smiled.

Rapana all but ruled out a return to rugby union after this season saying he would love to finish his career in Canberra with the Raiders, but there was still uncertainty about his future after 2020.

โ€œIdeally, Canberraโ€™s become my home away from home and Iโ€™d love to stay here for the rest of my career.

โ€œIโ€™m not too sure what the future has but, if I had it my way, Iโ€™d definitely like to stay here and stay in League for sure,โ€ he said.

In another win for league, when asked to settle which rugby code was tougher, Rapana was very quick to respond.

โ€œOh, definitely league, definitely league,โ€ he smiled.

On a more serious note, Rapana was asked about the latest hurdle in the NRLโ€™s bid to return on 28 May โ€“ the Queensland Governmentโ€™s insistence that all NRL players must receive a flu shot if they are to play and train in the Sunshine State.

A trio of Raiders player, Josh Papalii, Joe Tapine and Sia Soliola have all refused the injection due to religious beliefs but Rapana says they have his backing.

โ€œThereโ€™s a lot of uncertainty around that at the moment. Theyโ€™re grown men, thatโ€™s their beliefs and they have my support.โ€

Despite having his support, Rapana said not having those three available for certain games would be a big loss for the side.

โ€œTheyโ€™re a big part of our team. Sia (Soliola), Josh (Papalii) and Taps (Tapine) are three of our key players so it definitely would (impact our premiership chances).โ€

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