The Raiders have been dealt a crushing blow ahead of their semi-final contest against the Cronulla Sharks in Canberra on Saturday night.

Ethan Strange has been ruled out of the contest on Saturday morning (AEST) after falling ill overnight, according to the club.

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The 21-year-old five-eighth will not line up alongside his teammates in the do-or-die blockbuster at GIO Stadium.

Simi Sasagi will take Strange’s starting position while Matty Nicholson has been named on the bench.

Strange has been one of the Raiders’ best players all season long with the young playmaker voted as the brightest star in the NRL in a Code Sports player survey.

The vote was for players aged 20 years or under before June 30 and Strange was a standout selection among his peers.

“When he does play, it’s almost like he’s built of granite, but I think people underestimate his mental steel. For a playmaker so young, his mental strength is up there as well,” Raiders skipper Joe Tapine said to Code Sports.

The loss of Strange will be a devastating blow for the Raiders as they look to keep their finals hopes alive against the Sharks.

The Raiders will be looking to avoid a straight-sets exit on Saturday night after winning the minor premiership and then losing in week one of the finals to the Brisbane Broncos in a game many experts described as the greatest finals game of all time.

Reece Walsh did it all in the match that had fans across the country on the edge of their seat until the Broncos secured the 29-28 victory.

They’ll lock horns with the Sharks who proved too strong for the Sydney Roosters in front of their home fans last weekend.

The winner of tonight’s contest will have only six days before they travel down to Melbourne and take on the Storm in a Friday night preliminary final.

Originally published as Canberra Raiders rocked as star ruled out for blockbuster final