When the Canberra Raiders pulled up stumps at Seiffert Oval in 1989 Jarrod Croker was just a twinkle in his father's eye.

But the centre admits there'll be little time to soak in tradition as the battle for spots in the new-look Raiders intensifies in their final trial against Newcastle on Saturday night.

Melbourne Storm recruit Sisa Waqa is the sole player in Canberra's starting backline who was alive when the Raiders played their last game at the Queanbeyan venue before moving to Bruce.

Fast forward 26 years and new Canberra skipper Croker says the side's youth and player turnover makes the return to their spiritual home even more poignant.

Centre, wing, halfback, hooker and back row spots all remain up for grabs in arguably the most important Raiders trial in years.

"Everyone's talking about the [halfback] competition between Sam Williams and Mitch Cornish, but I think the battle between Josh Hodgson, Glen Buttriss and Josh McCrone for the nine jersey is just as important," Croker said.

"A lot of the guys are even younger than me and wouldn't even have been thought of [when the Raiders played at Seiffert].

"That makes it tougher [to instill club tradition] but something we're working hard on is our history and culture."

Croker, who performed strongly for the NRL All Stars last week, backed Edrick Lee to make a fist of his possible switch from the wing to right centre.

Lee managed just eight games last year through injury but will get first crack at the No.4 jersey left vacant by Jack Wighton's shift to fullback.

The 22-year-old will square off against Newcastle young gun and Australian Four Nations star Sione Mata'utia, who is also making the transition from wing to centre.

"I think Eddy will be fine," Croker said. "I'm not too sure whether Stick [coach Ricky Stuart] is going to go with that, it's his to take if he comes out with a strong performance.

"We've built our pre-season around defensive attitude, we leaked too many tries last year and a lot of that was on the edges. If he comes up with a strong defensive performance, it goes a long way."

Iosia Soliola will get first crack at a second row starting spot alongside Kangaroo Josh Papalii in his first game with Canberra after five Super League seasons at St Helens.

Despite playing 92 games with Sydney Roosters and winning a Super League title last year, Soliola admitted he's nervous before his NRL return.

"I was really nervous at the start of the week, just watching it [NRL] for so long and wondering whether I should come back," he said. "I got up at a quarter to five this morning [Friday] because I couldn't relax that the day's finally come."

Soliola has assumed a significant leadership role, particularly with the Polynesian players, to help fill the void left by the departed Terry Campese and Brett White's retirement.

"They probably felt the boys needed a bit of guidance and hopefully I can help out in that respect," he said.

"We've got a lot of [capable] guys in similar positions, it's going to be a hard decision for Ricky. I want to come back and test myself. I haven't won a premiership [in the NRL]."

Knights coach Rick Stone said apart from suspended recruit Tariq Sims, the side named to play Canberra is at full strength.

He admitted he has a few selection headaches, notably in the centres after incumbent Joey Leilua was named on the bench behind Mata'utia and Dane Gagai.

"Obviously we've got three quality centres and Sione has a couple of other options to his bow, maybe fullback and possibly wing," Stone said.

"We've got some flexibility there and we'll look after this week and see what the best options are. Us and the Raiders are pretty similar, a bit low-key, and we need the whole squad performing at a good level. Both teams are obviously [looking to bounce back from last year].

SATURDAY

NRL trial: Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights at Seiffert Oval, Queanbeyan, 6.30pm.

Canberra Raiders: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Sisa Waqa, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Edrick Lee, 5. Jeremy Hawkins, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Mitch Cornish, 8. David Shillington, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Dane Tilse, 11. Josh Papalii, 12, Sia Soliola, 13. Paul Vaughan. Bench: 14. Sam Williams, 15. Frank-Paul Nuuausala, 16. Jarrad Kennedy, 17. Shannon Boyd, 18. Josh McCrone, 19. Glen Buttriss, 20. Joel Edwards, 21. Jordan Rapana, 22. Shaun Fensom.

Newcastle Knights: 1. Kurt Gidley, 2. James McManus, 3. Dane Gagai, 4. Sione Mata'utia, 5. Akuila Uate, 6. Jarrod Mullen, 7. Tyrone Roberts, 8. Kade Snowden, 9. Adam Clydsdale, 10. Korbin Sims, 11. Beau Scott, 12. Robbie Rochow, 13. Jeremy Smith. Bench: 14. Tyler Randell, 15. Chris Houston, 16. David Fa'alogo, 17. Jack Stockwell, 18. Joey Leilua, 19. Chanel Mata'utia, 20. Jake Mamo, 21. Joseph Tapine, 22. Clint Newton.