While Chudleigh got his NRL career off to a bright start, Canberra Raiders fullback Jack Wighton says "things are starting to brighten up" for himself and he was thankful for the faith his coach Ricky Stuart showed in him.

Stuart has given the Raiders the week off for the bye and they'll return to training on Monday, although back-up hooker Kurt Baptiste woke up with a sore foot/ankle and had scans on Tuesday.

He was on crutches and wearing a moonboot at the Raiders' fans signing in Civic, where hundreds of people turned up following their 26-12 victory over the Cowboys – their sixth win in their last seven games – which has them just one point outside the top four.

A couple of Cowboys players have caught the attention of the match review committee, with winger Kyle Feldt facing a five-week stint on the sidelines if he contests his shoulder charge on Raiders captain Jarrod Croker in the final minute of the game.

Fullback Lachlan Coote has been given a one-match ban for making contact with referee Grant Atkins.

While Chudleigh would have loved the win, he was excited about making his NRL debut – especially since it was in Canberra – just up the road from his home town of Bungendore.

He was a Raiders junior, but as luck would have it he debuted against them on the ground he'd played on as a kid.

The 22-year-old made a glittering start, darting away from the play-the-ball through the Raiders defensive line to score early in the second half and bring the Cowboys back within two points.

He thought he heard a familiar voice in the stands.

"It doesn't get much better than that, a try on debut, I was pretty stoked for it. I was just pretty lucky, saw a big hole there and just backed myself," Chudleigh said.

"I think I could hear my mum screaming from the sideline. I was just very grateful to get the debut.

"I'll just go back and see the review and there'll be a few things I need to work on. I'll just work on them at training and give myself the best opportunity to get picked again."

After the game, Stuart praised his fullback's efforts and said he'd never lost faith in Wighton despite a few errors earlier in the season.

Wighton was grateful for his coach's backing and said he'd never worried about getting "the tap" as it would've simply meant he hadn't "earned his spot".

The 23-year-old said he'd taken a more relaxed approach in the second half of the season, after he'd been guilty of trying too hard early on.

"I was overthinking everything in life, football and life, I just stepped back and I just realised how lucky I am to even be here," Wighton said.

"The more relaxed I am the better I play and that's what I'm finding now. I'm an up-tempo type of guy so [it helps] to control those nerves and it's working for me.

"If you get the tap, it means that you haven't earned your spot. I was working my arse off and Sticky could see that and he stuck by me. If you get the tap, you get the tap, you put your boots on the next week."