Canberra have suffered a monumental blow for their must-win clash against the Sydney Roosters, with halfback Jamal Fogarty ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Fogarty was withdrawn from the Raiders team on match eve, after he was hurt at training on Friday afternoon.
His injury has prompted coach Ricky Stuart to call Adam Cook into his halves to partner Kaeo Weekes, with Ethan Strange also still injured.
St George Illawarra's loss to Parramatta on Saturday afternoon gave Canberra some hope of still making the finals.
But they will need to beat both the Roosters on Sunday and Dragons next Saturday in order to have any hope of doing so with other results going in their favour.
That task is now substantially more difficult, with the Raiders having lost six of nine matches without Fogarty this season.
"We put ourselves in this position," coach Ricky Stuart said.
"We should have been entrenched into the eight if we had been more consistent with our footy.
"The squad itself is improving. But we've made it difficult for ourselves and have a tough assignment this week."
Fogarty's injury also comes after Stuart moved Weekes into the halves earlier in the week, allowing Jordan Rapana to wear the No.1 jersey.
Rapana is now expected to leave Canberra after this season, with the 35-year-old having agreed to a move to the Super League.
"He's a competitor, Jordan. He's a guy that it's never over until its over with Jordan," Stuart said.
"He competes to the end, and that's why players love playing with him."
