The Sydney Roosters are heading into Friday night’s blockbuster clash against the Canberra Raiders with a mix of bad news and a massive boost for their backline, confirming that Australian Kangaroos representative winger Mark Nawaqanitawase is set to make his long-awaited return from a season-disrupting injury, just as inspirational comeback story Cody Ramsey is abruptly ruled out of the trip with an illness.\n\nNawaqanitawase has not taken the field since Round 9, when he suffered a severe syndesmosis injury that required surgical intervention and forced him to withdraw from a potential debut with the New South Wales Blues State of Origin side. But after completing a full, contact-heavy training session on Wednesday, the dynamic winger has passed all final fitness tests to be available for selection against the Raiders.\n\nHis comeback arrives at a critical time for the Roosters, who have already been without veteran starting winger Daniel Tupou in recent weeks. Roosters head coach Trent Robinson confirmed the positive update on Nawaqanitawase’s availability, noting that Wednesday’s session was the final hurdle to clear for his return. “Yesterday was the real test for us to make sure that he was right to tick off everything he needed after that syndesmosis injury. It’s looking good for him to play tomorrow,” Robinson told reporters.\n\nThe electrifying winger brings a unique attacking spark to the Roosters lineup, combining creative playmaking with a lethal finishing ability that has made him one of the most exciting young talents in the National Rugby League. Still, Robinson emphasized that the club’s game plan remains rooted in collective effort rather than relying on one individual to turn recent fortunes around. “In some areas he brings a creativity and a finish that’s really important. He’s a high-quality player,” Robinson said. “But then in other areas, that’s just a team concept rather than an individual that’s going to change it. It’s a whole-team concept, so no individual coming in or out is going to change that. It has been a collective.”\n\nNawaqanitawase will slot into the starting right wing position, a spot that was set to be filled by Ramsey – who is now forced to miss the clash just weeks after completing one of the most anticipated comebacks in recent rugby league history. Ramsey, who was sidelined for 1337 days recovering from a serious long-term injury, had already produced one of the feel-good stories of the 2025 NRL season with his return to the top flight. However, Robinson confirmed the club only learned of Ramsey’s illness roughly 30 minutes before speaking to media, ruling him out of travel and selection for the fixture. “Cody’s actually a bit crook. We only just found that out sort of half an hour ago, so he won’t travel with us,” the coach added.\n\nBeyond the backline selection news, the Roosters’ main focus in training this week has been fixing a costly ball control issue that has derailed their last two outings. Against the Melbourne Storm last Saturday, the side coughed up 18 unforced errors and managed just one try on the night, following on from a 14-error performance in a Magic Round loss to the North Queensland Cowboys. A visibly frustrated Robinson addressed the errors directly with his playing group in the sheds after the Storm loss, and this week the squad has prioritized tightening up their completion rates on the training paddock.\n\n“The first thing is to discuss it, and then the second thing is to do it at training,” Robinson explained. “That’s a really key part of the game is talking about it, but training it, and then it’s up to us to perform that tomorrow night. It’s not the single focus, either. You want to improve that, and we’ve been pretty good at that this year. The last two games has not been what we wanted, So we talk about it, practise it, and then go out and do it.”\n\nThe 2026 NRL rule changes have placed unprecedented emphasis on retaining possession and territorial control, making reliable ball handling more critical than ever for title contenders. The Roosters have long built their identity on an expansive, attacking style of play that has sometimes come with higher error counts, but Robinson says the squad has already proven this season that it can balance elite attacking movement with high completion rates. Citing a standout performance against Manly where the side posted a 96% completion rate and only one unforced error, the coach said his side is capable of fixing the recent slump ahead of Friday’s kickoff.\n\n“I think we’ve shown that we can do both,” Robinson said. “I go back to the Manly game where it was sort of about 96 per cent completions. I think we had one error in that game, and there’s been others throughout that period where we’ve been able to do both. We’ve been able to score points but then also control the ball, and that’s the game. That’s pretty clear what’s needed in the game, and our job is to go out and get it done.”
‘He won’t travel with us’: Roosters to welcome back Kangaroos star, but they’ve lost a winger for the trip to Canberra
