England international and Canberra Raiders back rower Matty Nicholson will return to the field this week, his coach Ricky Stuart has confirmed.
Nicholson has made just one appearance in 2026, with that coming in round one of the New South Wales Cup back in March.
A shoulder issue ruled him out for most of 2025, and as a result, a lack of game meant he was not selected for England to face Australia in the Ashes.
After recovering across the pre-season, a recurrence of that shoulder problem has meant he has missed almost the entire 2026 season, but he is now finally closing in on a return.
The Wigan academy product only joined the Raiders at the beginning of last year, and after an incredible start that saw him score five tries in seven matches, the injury put a halt to that momentum.
Now, after four months out, he is set to return to the field, and now has around 10 weeks to prove himself fit and ready for the Rugby League World Cup.
Stuart confirmed over the weekend that the 23-year-old will make a reserve grade return this weekend. The Raiders take on the Western Suburbs Magpies on Saturday, a team coached by former Super League prop Tyrone McCarthy.
Per Sydney Milk Syndicate, a Canberra supporters group, the Raiders boss said: “I think Matty’s first game back will be next week.
“He’ll be more likely coming back through [NSW] Cup to get some game conditioning for him, but he’s come back at the right time of the season.
“It’s very similar to Noah [Martin] last week and Papa [Josh Papali’i], there’s so much enthusiasm and energy to come back and play.
“They’ve been in rehab for most of the season. Hes got a lot of enthusiasm, Matty Nic’s ready to play.”
Canberra were dealt a big injury blow this week, with State of Origin star Hudson Young confirmed to have picked up a knock. Nicholson would be a like-for-like switch with the Blues star, but Stuart wants to give the Englishman time to ease himself back before an NRL return.
“He’s been out too long,” the boss said. “He’ll have to get some minutes. It’d be unfair on him to be putting the pressure on him to come straight back.
“I just think, to be fair to Matty Nicholson, he’s got to get some minutes playing some football over the next couple of weeks and hopefully we can still keep winning games and then use Matty Nicholson’s ability.
“…I think he’s played 10 or 12 games over two years. It’s been very heartbreaking for Matty. I just hope he gets a run of luck now when he comes back to play.
