Manly Daily
ADAM LUCIUS
31aug05
CANBERRA coach Matthew Elliott has refused to give several wounded players an early off-season, choosing a near full strength side for Saturday night's crunch match against Manly at Canberra Stadium.
Influential five-eighth Jason Smith, who has been playing with a broken hand, will play and veteran lock Jason Croker is back after missing last weekend's loss to Parramatta.
The Raiders can't make the finals but are desperate to finish the year off with a win after six straight losses.
A Canberra victory could cost the Sea Eagles a top eight berth.
The Raiders will also have extra motivation to win as they bid farewell to forwards Ian Hindmarsh and Ben Cross.
Hindmarsh leaves for new British Super League club, Les Catalans, in mid-October, while Cross is bound for the Melbourne Storm.
Both players have spent three NRL seasons with the Raiders.
``Matt Elliott spoke to all the players early in the week and we really want to finish with a win,'' Hindmarsh said.
``That's what we're all working together to achieve.
``We want to finish on a positive.''
Remarkably, a week after dropping out of finals contention Canberra can finish with the wooden spoon if they lose heavily and both Souths and Newcastle win.
ADAM LUCIUS
31aug05
CANBERRA coach Matthew Elliott has refused to give several wounded players an early off-season, choosing a near full strength side for Saturday night's crunch match against Manly at Canberra Stadium.
Influential five-eighth Jason Smith, who has been playing with a broken hand, will play and veteran lock Jason Croker is back after missing last weekend's loss to Parramatta.
The Raiders can't make the finals but are desperate to finish the year off with a win after six straight losses.
A Canberra victory could cost the Sea Eagles a top eight berth.
The Raiders will also have extra motivation to win as they bid farewell to forwards Ian Hindmarsh and Ben Cross.
Hindmarsh leaves for new British Super League club, Les Catalans, in mid-October, while Cross is bound for the Melbourne Storm.
Both players have spent three NRL seasons with the Raiders.
``Matt Elliott spoke to all the players early in the week and we really want to finish with a win,'' Hindmarsh said.
``That's what we're all working together to achieve.
``We want to finish on a positive.''
Remarkably, a week after dropping out of finals contention Canberra can finish with the wooden spoon if they lose heavily and both Souths and Newcastle win.
