Curtis Scott's wretched first year at Canberra has suffered another setback after an arm infection ruled him out of Thursday night's NRL grand final rematch.
Scott fronted at Raiders training on Wednesday with a swollen arm, the result of an infection in a cut, meaning he will miss the clash with Sydney Roosters.
It comes at a poor time for the former Melbourne centre, who was dropped back to the bench a fortnight ago and then fell entirely out of their 17 last week.
He was due to come back via the interchange, after regular winger Bailey Simonsson was ruled out for the season following last week's loss to Melbourne.
In turn, Scott becomes the seventh member of Canberra's casualty ward that would usually be in their first-choice side.
Fijian winger Semi Valemei will now debut, making a zoom call back home to his family on the island of Vanua Levu on Wednesday to tell them of his debut.
"He's a future NRL player," coach Ricky Stuart said.
"He's a big strong Fijian boy we see a few of in the competition.
"He has put a lot of work into his game and it's nice for him to get that opportunity now."
Valemei had never played rugby league before arriving in Australia in 2018 to join the Raiders, after being identified by a scout at high school a year earlier.
He scored a first-half hat-trick in the Raiders' Jersey Flegg grand final loss to South Sydney in 2019, and represented Fiji at last year's World Cup Nines.
"You much prefer to be debuting these young players in better circumstances," Stuart said.
"You want to give them every possibility coming into an occasion at full strength.
"But the opportunity arrives through the injuries we have at the moment ... It's very exciting for him and his family back home."
Raiders players were given an extra recovery day this week in a bid to battle their injury crisis and five-day turnaround.
But Stuart is insistent his team should not be written off despite being without hooker Josh Hodgson for the season and four other forwards.
"We have been written off and not given the opportunity to show what's in the inner sanctum," Stuart said.
"To reveal what we are about here at the club.
"Through this tough adversity, this difficult period it gives us a chance to show what we are about."
Australian Associated Press
