Don't expect Canberra Raiders recruit Blake Austin to be a direct replacement for livewire Anthony Milford this season.

The flamboyant five-eighth is aiming to play more like Terry Campese in his prime.

Austin says he won't be bogged down by pressure to revive Canberra's attack in 2015, the 24-year-old ready to run, stun and have some fun in a bid to shake his long-term utility tag.

Re-energised by a breakout NRL season with the Wests Tigers in 2014, Austin faces great expectation in Canberra for a playmaker with only 34 games of experience in the top grade.

Canberra's attack became heavily reliant on Milford's spark in recent seasons, his defection to the Brisbane Broncos prompting the Raiders to aggressively poach Austin from the Tigers late last year to inject some X-factor into their backline.

While Austin rejected comparisons to Milford, the Penrith junior said he had tried to model his game on similar big, running five-eighths.

Austin said he was a huge admirer of departing Raiders captain Terry Campese, especially during his 2008-10 seasons, before chronic knee injuries crippled his explosive running game.

"I used to watch Terry [Campese] pretty closely, he was always a bigger five-eighth like myself, so you look at how those guys play," said Austin, who weighs about 96 kilograms.

"Growing up I was a big fan of Trent Barrett and Todd Carney when he was at the Raiders, too. He was a weapon.

"I've got the frame to play that running style, it takes a bit of pressure off my passing game because I can always tuck it under my wing and cop a bit more of a shot.

"A lot of my spontaneous stuff comes around my running game, whereas other halves might try and spontaneously throw cut-out passes or kicks. I'm big enough I can take on the line when not much else is on.

"That's what footy's about, a bit of off-the-cuff stuff. Obviously you need your structure to create those things, but footy's about playing what you see.

"But I'm not coming here to try and be Anthony Milford, he's a a freak. I'm just going to compete in all games, give it my all and hopefully that adds to the Canberra Raiders."

Austin already knows the difficulty of meeting expectations.

The 2009 Australian Schoolboys representative had lived and played in the Penrith area most of his life. He felt destined to spend his career there.

Austin made his NRL debut in 2011 but played only 15 games in three seasons at the Panthers and was forced out by injury.

Austin realised the enormity of his move to the Tigers last year, turning up in the best shape of his life and playing 19 matches in 2015.

"Change is necessary at times and I reaped a few rewards from it," Austin says.

"I had to get my career back on track or it could have been the end. At 22 it sounds a bit silly, but you don't want to be treading water at that breaking-through stage for too long.

"I came off my best pre-season definitely [before 2014], I was a lot lighter, stronger and faster and probably a bit hungrier. I struggled a little bit to find a club once I knew I was leaving Penrith ... I guess I saw a little bit of the light that if you don't step it up, it could finish as soon as it starts."

The father of two admitted stress had been relieved a little by signing a three-year deal in Canberra. However, there will be extra scrutiny to contend with in Canberra, too.

Of his 34 NRL games, only 15 have been as a starting half. Most of Austin's matches have come from the bench, shuffled through the halves, fullback and centres. Even hooker.

Adding to his task, Austin is likely to start the season with 22-year-old Mitch Cornish, who has played only eight NRL matches. The other halves option, Sam Williams, is 23 and has played 46 NRL matches.

"In an ideal world you'd love to have two halves that have played 100-150 games but everyone's got to start somewhere," Austin said.

"You look at the Tigers, they'll be supporting a halves pairing [Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses] that won't have much more experience than us. I think one thing we're going to have here is a big pack that can hopefully look after us.

"I've got a lot to learn as well. I think last year was a glimpse of what I've been trying to show my first few years in grade. Things finally came together and I can't wait to grow as a player.

"I've got a pretty high expectations on myself, so if I can reach those I'll go a long way to complementing the team and hopefully winning some games."