Three weeks after his illegal 11-minute debut was struck from the record books, Xavier Savage will officially become an NRL player on Thursday night.
The teenage victim of Canberra’s 18th-man blunder against St George Illawarra last month, Savage will get a second shot at first grade when he starts at fullback against Manly.
Brought on when the Raiders made a meal of the concussion rule at WIN Stadium, Savage’s brief stint has been removed from the NRL record books.
The Raiders also copped a $10,000 fine over the error – with $5000 of it suspended – but come Thursday night at Brookvale Oval, it will all be worth it.
“He handled that really well, he handled that like a man,” coach Ricky Stuart said.
“He understood the situation, he didn’t care.
“You take your hat off to him in regards to how he initially got into the field and he was told he handled it really well.
“He has been excited since he had that 10 or so minutes.
“And just talking to his mother this week I can sense that excitement in her voice and I can actually see it in Xavier’s training.”
The 19-year-old’s second NRL debut comes with Canberra struggling to make an impact in this year’s race for the NRL premiership.
Stuart admitted on Thursday he was still “gobsmacked” by their output in their 44-6 loss to Gold Coast last Saturday night.
But Savage’s journey is the feel-good story that Canberra and the NRL needed.
A 100m and 200m sprint Queensland champion who had his sights on the Olympics before an ankle injury proved too much of a hurdle, Savage is a star of the Maroons pathways program.
He joined the Raiders as a 17-year-old and was part of their under-19s premiership-winning SG Ball side this year before signing a new three-year deal.
The speedster is likely to have the No.1 jersey for at least the next month, with Bailey Simonsson out with a toe injury.
And Stuart expects Savage’s brief NRL dalliance to pay off.
“He certainly knows what speed the game is because when he came off (against the Dragons) he was blown away with the speed of it,” Stuart said.
“It will be no different tomorrow night. And that’s why I talk about experiences with a young player to understand the the intensity.
“He was actually excited that he actually got the taste so that will certainly calm some nerves, but it will be a big night for him.”
AAP
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