Caleb Aekins leans on Charnze Nicll-Klokstad as he builds on Canberra Raiders debut

Nicoll-Klokstad is on the verge of learning his fate with a specialist to decide how long he spends on the sidelines with a bulging disc in his neck.

It gives Aekins an extended run in Canberra's No. 1 jersey, which continues when the Raiders hit the road for a clash with the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday night.

Now the 23-year-old is determined to shine in Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad's boots with the injured fullback himself aiding the cause after Aekins impressed in a tough night for the club against Parramatta last week.

"I can just lean on him whenever I have any questions and he has been quite open with me, saying 'if you need any help just come find me or give me a message'," Aekins said.

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"It helps a lot to have him there and have someone as experienced as him helping out. The [NSW] Cup has a lot of the same strategies as first grade so that made it really easy to slot right in. I felt really comfortable, the boys made me feel comfortable.

"[Josh Hodgson] came and grabbed me [last week], pulled me aside and told me at the leadership meeting they brought my name up and they were all confident in me.

"That gave me a lot of confidence going into the game. I've still got a lot of combinations to work on with everyone.

"Personally I was grateful and happy to put on the jumper. But obviously that's an individual accolade and they don't mean as much as team accolades and getting the win, so mixed emotions."

Aekins was anticipating an honest review session at Raiders headquarters on Monday after a Canberra were found guilty of a lacklustre outing against Parramatta.

The loss saw Canberra slip to a 3-3 record and left them outside the top eight, but Raiders forward Emre Guler says it's important to remember one thing: it's only round six.

"A lot of people freak out and say all this stuff, but it's still early in the year and it's a long year. Hopefully we just keep improving on ourselves and the rest will take care of itself," Guler said.

"I think it will be good to get out together and enjoy each other's company. Hopefully we get the win and start to turn things around. It will be a good chance for us to do that."

But Raiders coach Ricky Stuart could make changes when he names his side on Tuesday in a move which could show which players he felt were waiting for their teammates to do the work.

Stuart said "there's individuals there that are leaning on others, individuals there waiting for someone else to do it" against the Eels.

Now he could call on the likes of Seb Kris, Corey Harawira-Naera or Corey Horsburgh to bolster his side, with Guler desperate to hold his place in the 17 after a long injury layoff.

"It was pretty tough. It wasn't easy coming off the injury I had and just flying straight back in. It took a while," Guler said.

"I didn't run for 22 weeks or something. Just that time alone was pretty tough to get back into things. I'm back now and just happy to be playing footy. There's a lot of competition. Hopefully I just keep playing good footy and work on the things I need to get better at."

NRL ROUND 7

Saturday: North Queensland Cowboys v Canberra Raiders at North Queensland Stadium, 7.35pm.