Canterbury have released international forward Corey Harawira-Naera who was involved in a schoolgirl sex scandal earlier this year.
Bulldogs teammates Harawira-Naera and Jayden Okunbor were sacked in March and then controversially reinstated as NRL players this month.
Okunbor, 23, and Harawira-Naera, 25, were deregistered by the NRL after it was revealed they had sex with teenage schoolgirls on a team trip to Port Macquarie in February.
The duo successfully appealed their sacking but Harawira-Naera remained filthy with how the club treated him during the scandal.
The Canberra Times are reporting the New Zealand international will signed with the Raiders and could make his Green Machine debut on Saturday week against North Queensland.
Canberra have lost Australian and New South Wales winger Nick Cotric to the Bulldogs on a three-year deal from next season.
Canterbury on Wednesday confirmed Trent Barrett will coach the club for three years once his commitments at Penrith end in October.
“We have acted swiftly to secure the services of Trent because we believe he is the right man to take our club forward,” Canterbury boss Andrew Hill said.
“Having spoken to Trent on a number of occasions we have been impressed with his vision for the future of our football team and how he will look to develop our players on and off the field.”
Barrett’s appointment comes just nine days after predecessor Dean Pay resigned as head coach following their disappointing start to the season
The Bulldogs have lost their past six - and nine of their 10 games so far this year -to sit outright last on the competition table.
It will be his first head coaching job since he coached Manly to one finals appearance in three years between 2016-18.
He will also be charged with rebuilding a roster that also confirmed the signing of Kangaroos star Cotric.
England international Luke Thompson also recently joined the club.
“Trent has been around the game a long time and has a great knowledge of football and how to bring the best out of players,” Hill said.
“We all look forward to him joining the Bulldogs family at the end of this season.”
The 42-year-old Barrett, who played 235 games in his career, has been largely credited for helping turn the Panthers into a contender this season.
And while there have been reports Penrith have issued Barrett with a hands-off edict to poaching players, there is speculation youngster Matt Burton could leave.
Burton is signed with the Panthers until the end of next season.
“I’d like to thank the Canterbury-Bankstown Club for appointing me to the position of head coach and for giving me the opportunity to become part of the Bulldogs family,” Barrett said.
“The club has a long and proud history of success in rugby league and is a club founded on strong work ethics and family values.
“I look forward to, and am excited by, the challenges ahead in terms of making this club a serious competition force again.
would also like to thank the Panthers for their support and understanding.
“As my job there is not yet done, and out of respect to the Panthers, I will not be making any further comment until the conclusion of the season.”
