Rookie McCrone handed Raiders debut

Canberra coach David Furner will hand rookie halfback Josh McCrone a first start for the club against Canterbury on Sunday in place of the injured Marc Herbert.

McCrone gets his chance following an injury to Herbert last weekend, with scans revealing yesterday that Herbert will miss a minimum of four weeks with ankle Syndesmosis.

Raiders Coach David Furner has added Dane Tilse and Nigel Plum to the bench for Sunday’s important match against the Bulldogs and said a decision will be made on the final make up of the side later in the week.

“Josh McCrone gets his chance this week for us and he’s ready after playing some good footy for Souths Logan over the past few weeks,” Furner said.

“We’ve also included Tilse and Plum in the side this week and we’ll have a look at what we’ll do with those guys closer to kick-off.”

After being named in the side this weekend McCrone said he is ready to take the next step in his career and can not wait to take the field on Sunday.

“I’ve been looking forward to this moment my entire career so I can’t wait to get out there on Sunday and be a part of the team,” McCrone said. “It’s good to get the chance to play at home first up and I’m sure Canberra will be behind me.”