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The rugby league World Cup is set to delay the Canberra Raiders' recruitment and retention drive as speculation swirls around some of the club's stars. Hooker Josh Hodgson is yet to finalise a deal with the Green Machine while his back up, Kurt Baptiste, has been linked to a move to the UK Super League. It is hoped Hodgson will stay in the capital but talks are on hold until he finishes his World Cup campaign with England. Both Hodgson and Baptiste are off-contract at the end of next year and Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is trying to re-sign his core group of players beyond 2018. Joey Leilua has signed a deal until the end of 2020 and Elliott Whitehead committed to a two-year contract extension last week. The Raiders were open recruiting exiled bad boy Todd Carney back to Canberra, but the club's board rejected the idea before the idea got off the ground. Meanwhile, Baptiste will start on the bench for Papua New Guinea's World Cup opener against Wales on Saturday, with Kato Ottio picked in the centres.

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