Canberra Raiders have first Charnze to stake claim for round one
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has thrown the challenge down - who wants to be part of the Green Machine come round one?
Stuart named a 24-man squad to face what could be a strong Parramatta side at St Marys on Friday night.
The trial is shaping as exactly that - for several spots up for grabs in their second trial against the Canterbury Bulldogs at Bega on Saturday week.
The side that will play the Bulldogs will be close to their first-round team that will run out against the Gold Coast Titans.
New recruit Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and recently upgraded Bailey Simonsson will both get their chance to stake a claim for wing and fullback jerseys, while several Raiders regulars including Sam Williams, Luke Bateman, Dunamis Lui and Siliva Havili will have a run.
It will also be English prop Ryan Sutton's first hit-out for Canberra, while fellow youngsters Emre Guler, Corey Horsburgh and Jack Murchie also get a chance with bench spots on the line for Bega.
"It's more about giving some younger players an opportunity to play against first-graders, which I do every year," Stuart said.
"It's good for our youth in seeing what it's like playing against NRL players.
"There's guys in there that will be playing towards being chosen for the trial the week after. They're playing to get a potential start for the Dogs trial."
CANBERRA RAIDERS UPCOMING GAMES
Pre-season trials: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels at St Marys, Friday 7pm; Raiders v Canterbury Bulldogs at Bega, February 23 5pm.
Round 1: Canberra Raiders v Gold Coast Titans at the Gold Coast, March 17 6.10pm.
Raiders squad: Brad Abbey, Luke Bateman, JJ Collins, Emre Guler, Siliva Havili, Corey Horsburgh, Royce Hunt, Dan Keir, Seb Kris, Dunamis Lui, Mathew Lyons, Dean Matterson, Jack Murchie, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Andre Niko, Reuben Porter, Tony Satini, Bailey Simonsson, Harley Smith-Shields, Tom Starling, Matt Timoko, Ryan Sutton, Sam Williams, Hudson Young.