Brailey set for new role as Raiders grapple with crisis
Sebastian Tan |
Jayden Brailey is embracing the opportunity to earn more minutes with Canberra, but says he can’t remember playing in the position he’s been tasked with for at least seven years.
The Raiders are grappling with a player shortage, which has led to a reshuffle in the side ahead of Saturday’s clash against Gold Coast in Robina.
The barnstorming Noah Martin (ankle) and Zac Hosking (concussion) picked up injuries against Wests Tigers last round, joining Josh Papali’i (calf) and Hudson Young (suspension) on the sidelines.
But worse news could come, with the in-form Simi Sasagi (hamstring) and five-eighth Ethan Strange (ankle) also in doubt, with the club set to decide on their fate before they travel to Queensland on Friday.
Brailey has been one of the beneficiaries of the reshuffle, after coach Ricky Stuart parachuted him into the No.13 jersey.
It will be his first start of the season, having begun on the bench behind Tom Starling in the hooker role.
But Brailey can’t remember playing as a lock since leaving Cronulla in 2019.
“I’m not sure if I played it at the Knights. I definitely played at the Sharks when Blayke (Brailey) was coming off the bench,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“I’d obviously play the first 50 to 60 minutes of hooker and then get shifted to lock and play the rest of the game there. I would pull up a little bit sore.
“But I’m embracing the opportunity. I’m really looking forward to showing that little bit of toughness and carrying the ball.”
After training in the lock position in the pre-season, Brailey expects nothing defensively to change for him, although he says he will be more involved with the ball than if he was hooker.
The player shortage couldn’t come at a worse time for Canberra, whose minor premiership defence is in tatters after a 33-14 loss to the Tigers last round.
Stuart said post-match that players should book their end-of-season holidays a lot earlier if they don’t start fixing their errors, as the team slumped to 14th on the ladder with just three wins.
Brailey says it’s up to the senior playing group to turn the Green Machine’s fortunes around.
“When I was a young boy, I used to look at those older guys and see their faces, listen to them, and see how they would respond,” the 30-year-old said.
“They look to us, and it’s up to us to lead with our actions.”
Fellow senior player Sebastian Kris is taking inspiration from Stuart after a conversation he had with the team following the loss against the Tigers.
“The one thing (Stuart) said that stuck with me was that a lot of our younger boys haven’t really experienced this type of rut in their career,” Kris said.
“It’s important for us to keep their spirits high and their confidence high, and knowing that we’ll all come out of it as long as we stick together.”
AAP