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FWC on Sport Nation guideStuart calls on AFL star to help young Canberra Raider
Sebastian Tan, AAP •  July 10th, 2026 5:03 pm
Canberra have recruited an AFL star to help Savelio Tamale (pic) regain his confidence | Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP
Coach Ricky Stuart has revealed Canberra have recruited GWS star Tom Green to help winger Savelio Tamale boost his confidence.
Tamale had a horror show in the Raiders' 24-16 victory over St George Illawarra two rounds ago, making a sea of errors before being hooked by Stuart in the 32nd minute.
The downtrodden 21-year-old exited the field with his head hung low before the NRL coach rushed to his side.
Canberra had a bye to sort out Tamale's case of the yips, which has been a lingering issue for the winger after he put in a similar performance against South Sydney in round six.
But this time they have Green, who is currently nursing a ruptured ACL and was part of the Giants' 2024 mid-season slump when they lost a plethora of matches before rallying to make the finals.
"We've done some extra work with him this week. We've reached out to a Raiders fan named Tom Green at GWS," Stuart said.
"He (Green) is a great fan of the Raiders, and it was just something a little bit left field. It's just a bit new and different, and it's a different voice.
"(He's) such a big part of the AFL and a big part of their game, and any little thing can help.
Injured GWS star and Canberra Raiders fan Tom Green has been brought in to assist Savelio Tamale | Photo: Scott Barbour/AAP
"I'm working on the person, not the actual skill, because he can catch a ball."
Tamale has been dropped to the Raiders' NSW Cup squad along with hooker Jayden Brailey ahead of Canberra's must-win clash against Canterbury on Saturday at Accor Stadium.
Star five-eighth Ethan Strange and second-rower Hudson Young will back up from Wednesday's State of Origin decider despite Strange dealing with an ankle issue in NSW camp.
Stuart is hoping the pair can help Canberra stop the Bulldogs from winning four-straight games against them for the first time in 40 years.
"It's nice to get a bit of energy off both the boys who did win the series, but we don't rely upon that," Stuart said.
"I wasn't expecting anything from them physically, and they were very tired, so they look a lot better today than they did yesterday morning."
For Canterbury, outside back Jacob Kiraz has been named to play despite suffering a rib injury in their 30-12 victory over Gold Coast two rounds ago.
Back-rower Jacob Preston has also been listed among the reserves after suffering an arm injury in round 12, in a welcome boost for the 'Dogs who need a win to keep in touch with the top eight.
