Canberra's horror run of injury luck with their halves and props continued after Austin was ruled out for at least two weeks on Friday.

Already reeling from serious injuries to forwards Sia Soliola (arm) and Jeff Lima (hand), Austin's omission is a huge blow before the in-form Sharks come to town on Sunday searching for a fourth straight win.

Austin will miss home games against the Sharks and Wests Tigers, with Sam Williams returning to the side to partner Aidan Sezer in the halves for the first time.

Austin warmed up with the rest of the side before Friday training and was so confident he would play, he fronted media before the session began.

But he was a late scratching after experiencing hamstring soreness during the warm-up.

After a breakout first season with Canberra last year, Austin has endured a frustrating injury run.

He had off-season surgery after hurting his shoulder in the penultimate round against Penrith last year, and missed three games this year with a knee problem picked up in round one against the same opposition.

"He [Austin] has had a slight hamstring problem in recent times and it's just got a little bit worse, there's a slight tear there," Stuart said.

"From what we've been told the early diagnosis is two weeks.

"This challenge will only make us stronger and we're very fortunate to have Sammy Williams slot straight back in.

"You've got to have depth in positions and that's what we keep trying to build."

The Canberra Raiders could be without two potent attacking weapons and their pack's three best metre-makers in an early season acid test.

Prop Vaughan (sprained ankle) and hooker Josh Hodgson (thumb) got through training on Friday, but Stuart isn't willing to gamble on them early in the season if they're not fully fit.

If they are ruled out, Canberra's decimated pack faces a huge test against the all-star Sharks forwards

According to NRL Stats, Vaughan (130 metres per game), Lima (117) and Soliola (104) are Canberra's three top metre-makers this year.

Soliola (41) is second behind lock Shaun Fensom in tackles per game, while Hodgson (34) is fourth.

Former Newcastle hooker Adam Clydsdale will replace Hodgson if he's ruled out after playing two strong games since his return from a shoulder injury.

Jarrad Kennedy and Mitch Barnett appear the leading candidates for a recall should Vaughan miss.

"They [Vaughan and Hodgson] are going OK but I'm not going to risk either of them if they're not 100 per cent," Stuart said.

"I was pretty happy with we're they're at today.

"It's a bit of a casualty ward at the moment but I'm hoping they'll be OK.

"It'll just keep building the character in the club and we have to handle the disruptions at the moment the best way we possibly can, and that's by giving opportunities to other players.

Dally M medal leader Hodgson would be a huge omission given his outstanding form but skipper Jarrod Croker said they can lift without him.

"He's been great for us, Hodgso, and without doubt if he's not there, we're going to miss him," Croker said.

"We'll know more today [Friday] and tomorrow after our training runs, [but] Kurt Baptiste has been great for us so if if he starts I'm sure we'll be fine.

"I presume it [handing Clydsdale a club debut] would be an option."

Before he was ruled out Austin said he expected the match to be won in the middle.

"Across the park, they're pretty similar to us with a forward pack we rely on and the outside backs come into their own," Austin said.

"We're going to have to fight fire with fire, meet them in the middle of the park and if we can win that battle it will go a long way to winning the game.

"That Parramatta game [36-6 loss last week] we lost in the first 25 minutes, it's important we start better so we're not chasing our tail at the end of the match.

"Anyone who knows Hodgson knows it would take a bit to keep him out of a match and Vaughany will be doing everything he can to play as well."

WALKING WOUNDED 

Sia Soliola 

Metres gained av: 104 (Third best for Raiders)

Tackles av: 41 (Second best for Raiders)

Jeff Lima 

Metres gained av: 117 (Second best for Raiders)

Tackles av: 21 (Equal fifth best for Raiders)

Paul Vaughan 

Metres gained av: 130 (best for Raiders)

Tackles av: 21 (Equal fifth best for Raiders)

Josh Hodgson 

Tackles made av: 34 (Fourth best for Raiders)

Source: NRL Stats