LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
Raiders young guns to debut: Canberra's Las Vegas players announced
Las Vegas: A long-term contract upgrade for Owen Pattie one week, followed by his NRL debut in Sin City the next.
The Canberra Times is reporting that Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is sticking to his guns and handing the keys to the Green Machine to the next generation, with Owen Pattie set to make his debut off the bench.
Pattie will be backing up hooker Tom Starling in the No.14 jersey when they take on the New Zealand Warriors at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
It's been a whirlwind journey for Pattie, who wasn't even in the Raiders' top-30 squad for most of the year.
Stuart praised Pattie for his hard work and standout performances during the pre-season and trials, which earned him his spot in the squad.
Pattie impressed in Canberra's first pre-season trial against the Penrith Panthers, edging out veteran hooker Danny Levi for a place in the 17-man squad.
Savelio Tamale, another debutant, was also named on the wing for the Raiders.
Tamale made his NRL debut last year for the St George Illawarra Dragons, coincidentally against the Raiders.
In other team updates, Zac Hosking, who battled a calf injury, successfully completed training in Las Vegas and is set to start in the second row.
Sin City scuffle partners Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies were also named in the squad.