The Canberra Raiders are reportedly weighing up their options for Jarrod Croker's future, following a season riddled by injuries.
The legendary centre has made just 12 appearances this year, taking his career tally to 291. Approaching 300 games, the 30-year-old has been club captain since 2015 and sits in the NRL and Raiders' record books when it comes to point-scoring.
But he has struggled for his usual consistent form when playing this year, and will miss this week once again, sitting out with concussion as Canberra welcome back Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
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According to The Australian's Brent Read, Croker is also battling a knee injury which has hampered his season, with Read telling NRL 360 on Fox Sports that he is likely to have knee surgery in the off-season and must get things right to feature for the Raiders next season.
That comes despite Croker having a four-year contract extension with the Raiders, which is due to keep him at the club to the end of 2023, with a player option built into his contract for 2024.
It could see Croker forced to play reserve grade or seek a release if he is unable to get back into first grade.
โItโs going to be a crucial off-season for Jarrod Croker. Heโs obviously out now, I donโt think heโll play again this year with a knee problem. It looks like heโll have off-season knee surgery,โ Read said.
โAnd I think at the moment he canโt be guaranteed a spot in that side. He might have been a fixture in years gone by but by the way heโs played this year, heโs struggled, thatโs pretty obvious.
โI think itโs come to the point where he needs to get that knee right and if he canโt get it right then heโs not going to be in the team anymore.
โThat club loves Jarrod Croker and they want to show him the upmost respect and I think Rickyโs done that this year.
โThereโs been times where Jarrod has struggled and Ricky has stuck with him but I think next year is really crucial for Ricky and that club. If Jarrod canโt get things right in the off-season with his knee, Iโm not sure we'll see him in a Raiders jersey again.โ
Given Canberra have had key defensive issues this season, Croker tackling at under 80 per cent efficiency, while he has only scored a single try and assisted another in 12 games, will have Ricky Stuart concerned about what the future holds for Croker, who is widely viewed as formerly one of the unluckiest players to never play State of Origin.
The Raiders have recently re-signed an incredible amount of outside backs, including Sebastian Kris, Xavier Savage, Semi Valemei and centre Matthew Timoko. They have also been joined by development player Elijah Anderson, who will progress to a top 30 contract for 2022.
With Timoko and Kris out and out centres, it indicates the Raiders are prepared to go with youth as they attempt to turn the club back into the powerhouse they were in recent times.
It's unclear if Croker will fight for selection again once he recovers from concussion, with the club currently caught in a desperate battle to make the top eight.
