The first real injury adversity the Canberra Raiders have faced all year has prompted coach Ricky Stuart to hand young forward Mitch Barnett an NRL debut against Wests Tigers on Monday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With the 10th-placed Raiders needing to win to keep their finals hopes alive, the 20-year-old has been thrown onto the bench after a serious cheek bone injury to Sia Soliola meant Stuart elevated back-rower Jarrad Kennedy into the starting line-up.
The Raiders have enjoyed one of the best injury runs of any team thus far, with Soliola's potentially season-ending injury he suffered in last week's loss to the Cowboys the only major mishap they've had all season.
But with in-form hooker Josh Hodgson also set to miss 1-2 weeks with an ankle sprain and winger Edrick Lee suspended for a match tripping, Canberra's depth is about to be tested.
Raiders hooker Glen Buttriss has also been handed a first-grade lifeline after being given the job of deputising for the injured Josh Hodgson for the must-win match.
Buttriss hasn't played an NRL game since round six, but will start in the No.9 jersey with fellow dummy-half Kurt Baptiste to continue his role coming off the bench.
Melbourne Storm recruit Sisa Waqa has also been named to return from a two-game layoff with a knee injury, just in time to replace Lee on the wing.
Barnett, 21, has been in strong form for Mounties and is highly rated by coach Ricky Stuart, who handed him a new two-year deal to keep him in Canberra until the end of 2017 in April.
Known for his high work rate and toughness, Barnett won Canberra's under-20 players' player award last year.
He has played the entire season in NSW Cup with Mounties, and Raiders under-20 coach Mick Mantelli said he's ready to follow fellow young forwards Paul Vaughan, Shannon Boyd and Luke Bateman into the big time.
"He's a great kid, he works very hard and is passionate about his game, I have no reservations about him getting a first grade debut," Mantelli said.
"He's been knocking on the door for a while, he's been on their agenda for a bit and it was only a matter of time."
Barnett's favoured position is second row and he is likely to come off the bench and play on the right edge, with Kennedy shifting into the middle third.
The Wingham Tigers product is the third player outside their top-25 squad the Raiders have used this year after Baptiste, Bateman and Jeremy Hawkins.
