Sacked Cronulla bad boy Jason Williams' league rehabilitation with the Canberra Raiders takes a step forward this weekend with his expected first-grade debut.
The former Aucklander, who last year faced the possibility of a jail term before charges of assaulting a Sharks team-mate were dropped by police, has been named in an extended squad to play the Bulldogs in Sydney on Sunday.
Front-rower Williams joined the Raiders in April, a year after being sacked following an altercation involving former Junior Kiwi Jeremy Smith.
Williams, who started his career at the Bulldogs, had been playing in reserve grade until coach Matthew Elliott summoned the 100kg prop and promising junior Willie Raston to first grade.
One-test Kiwis prop Andrew Lomu, who made his Raiders debut in the 12-20 loss to the Broncos last week after joining from Cronulla, has also been named on the bench.
Raston, a nephew of former Raiders and Kiwis coach John Lomax, is likely to be 18th man on Sunday but is seen as a player of the future.
Lomu was effective in his Raiders' debut and Elliott hoped Williams would also add some punch against the Bulldogs.
"We've got heaps of mobility in our pack but we're not really bending the opposition's defensive line consistently enough," Elliott said.
- NZPA
League: Bad boy Williams limbers up for Raiders senior debut
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.