But Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart says having a real footy player like Elliott Whitehead made it a comfortable one.

Stuart switched Whitehead from his usual spot in the second row on the right edge to cover for injured captain Jarrod Croker (knee) at centre on the left and has brought Nick Cotric in on the wing for his first NRL game.

As per the new NRL team-naming protocols, the Raiders finalised their 19-man squad to play the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday, with Lachlan Croker and Makahesi Makatoa dropping out of the 21.

Cowboys prop Matt Scott was expected to play, despite spending Tuesday night in hospital with a leg infection, while winger Antonio Winterstein (ankle) was likely to miss with Javid Bowen set to take his place in preference of young gun Kalyn Ponga.

Canberra's own young gun Cotric was set to play with Stuart saying there weren't any injuries since the team headed to Townsville on Tuesday for a mini camp leading into their season opener.

He'll have the experience of 27-year-old Whitehead to call on during his debut, with the England international having played seven Tests and about 200 senior games in the NRL and Super League.

While Whitehead's best known for the potent combination he's formed on the Raiders' right edge - along with Blake Austin, Joey Leilua and Jordan Rapana - he also showed his versatility last season when he shifted to five-eighth for two games while Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin were out injured.

Now he'll get his chance at centre, potentially until Jarrod Croker returns from his dislocated kneecap in round five or six.

"He's great utility value because of the type of player he is. He's a real footy player. He played five-eighth for us last year and did a very good job," Stuart said of Whitehead.

"I've got all the confidence in the world in Elliott and he's a very experienced player who will be very good for Nick Cotric, who's debuting for us.

"It makes the decision more comfortable to make when you know Elliott's a good talker.

"Him and Nick have combined very well at training and I'm looking forward to them playing together."

Stuart was unaware of the Raiders' record in Townsville, where they have lost their last eight trips to Townsville and haven't won there since 2006.

His only concern was having the Green Machine purring for Saturday's hitout against the Cowboys.

He expected the home side to find their feet quicker given they've had a few more pre-season trials than his Raiders.

While the Cowboys pack has lost James Tamou (Penrith) and Ben Hannant (retired) - and will probably take in an underdone Scott - Stuart wasn't expecting his forward pack to have an easy night.

He felt Scott, Jason Taumalolo - joint winner of last year's Dally M Medal - Coen Hess and Scott Bolton would provide a big challenge.

The Raiders got 1989 premiership heroes John "Chicka" Ferguson and Steve Jackson to present the jerseys to the players.

It caps off a mini camp in Townsville after the Raiders decided against having a camp during their pre-season.

Stuart said it took longer from a sports-science perspective to fully acclimatise to Far North Queensland's heat and humidity, but still felt it was an invaluable trip.

"It's just given us the opportunity to train under the conditions that we're going to play in," he said.

"I wanted to do this leading into the Cowboys instead of going on a camp post-Christmas or pre-Christmas.

"From a budget point of view, we used this as some time away for preparation closer to our first match."

NRL ROUND ONE

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v North Queensland Cowboys at Townsville, 7pm. Live on Fox League.