As seen on https://www.nrl.com

Raiders skipper Elliott Whitehead has full confidence in centre Seb Kris to handle the fullback position in Saturday’s season opener against the Cowboys.

With regular fullback Xavier Savage set to be sidelined for up to eight weeks with a broken jaw, coach Ricky Stuart had a choice between Kris and Kiwi veteran Jordan Rapana to wear the No.1 jersey.

After being named at centre for the Raiders’ second Pre-season Challenge match against Wests Tigers, Kris shifted to fullback but had limited opportunities to shine with five runs for 43 metres.

Kris enjoyed a fine season in the centres in 2022 with 14 tries and 12 line breaks but Whitehead is adamant the 23-year-old has found confidence training at fullback in recent weeks and can make a big impact with his talk.

“I thought he was really good in that first half, obviously a different role for him at fullback but he fits in there really well and the more he trains and plays there the more comfortable he’s going to get,” Whitehead told the media.

“He’s had another good week there at training and we’re making him talk a lot more so he’s getting a lot louder and more confident out the back.

“It is a hard role but he’s a fit kid and his talk is starting to get there now as well so you can feel him getting a lot more confident in that role. I’m sure he’ll fit in very well and get better and better each week.