Canberra Raiders hooker Zac Woolford given the chance to play for his NRL career

With England international Josh Hodgson moving to Parramatta at the end of the season, the Canberra Raiders are on the hunt for a hooker and Woolford's impressive start in lime green has him in the mix to earn himself an NRL contract.

He'll come up against his dad and Raiders legend Simon, who is an assistant coach at Parramatta, when the Raiders take on the Eels at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

Woolford's slotted in nicely to form a Canberra dummy half duo with Tom Starling over his first two NRL games.

A season-ending knee injury for Hodgson had the Raiders on the hunt for a No.9 to bolster their ranks this year, but they're also looking to sure up their depth in the position long term as well.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said whether Woolford will earn himself a Green Machine contract will be decided by what he does on the field.

"Performance shows all that going forward now. He's got another opportunity this week," Stuart said.

The Raiders have won their past three games and have lifted themselves to the edge of the top eight, beating South Sydney, Cronulla and the Canterbury Bulldogs.

But now they face a tough run of games starting with the sixth-placed Eels.

Then there's the seventh-placed Sydney Roosters, also at home, before coming up against an in-form Brisbane Broncos at Lang Park.

Raiders centre Sebastian Kris felt the confidence and momentum they'd built over their past three games would stand them in good stead for the tough run.

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He's got the chance for an extended period in the centres following co-captain Jarrod Croker's shoulder dislocation, which could not only be season ending but potentially career ending as well.

"It is a tough few games coming up, however we've just got to focus on what we've been doing and take the confidence out of the last three games," Kris said.

"We're building up a lot of good momentum. If we stick together, support one another and we'll give them a run for their money.

"Confidence is a big aspect of the game. It gives us the belief to do what we're doing and to believe that it's going to work."

NRL ROUND 12

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Xavier Savage, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Adam Elliott. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ryan Sutton, 16. Sebastian Kris, 17. Corey Horsburgh. Reserves: 18. Brad Schneider, 19. Harry Rushton, 20. James Schiller, 21. Corey Harawira-Naera 22. Trey Mooney, 23. Emre Guler, 24. Matt Frawley.

Eels squad: 1. Clinton Gutherson (c), 2. Waqa Blake, 3. Viliami Penisini, 4. Tom Opacic, 5. Bailey Simonsson, 6. Dylan Brown, 7. Mitchell Moses, 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Shaun Lane, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Isaiah Papali'i. Interchange: 14. Makahesi Makatoa, 15. Ryan Matterson, 16. Oregon Kaufusi, 17. Nathan Brown. Interchange: 18. Bryce Cartwright, 19. Jakob Arthur, 20. Mitch Rein, 21. Hayze Perham, 22. Sean Russell, 23. Ky Rodwell, 24. Maika Sivo.

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