Kelly will play his first game of the season against Parramatta on Saturday, after coach David Furner axed Adrian Purtell following consecutive losses to start the season.

After just 16 first grade games since joining the Raiders from Cronulla, Kelly said he now wanted to prove he was worthy of a permanent position.

''I was disappointed not to get a start in round one, but now I'm in so I've got to make the most of it,'' Kelly said. ''I was pretty happy with my form in the pre-season and it's been okay the last two weeks in the Queensland Cup.

''I've just been plugging away, there's not much else you can do.''

Kelly, 26, has struggled to win and hold NRL selection since moving to Canberra. He missed his first pre-season because of a shoulder re-construction and has since suffered knee, hand and ankle injuries.

Former coach Neil Henry also dropped Kelly several times.

Kelly admits poor form cost him some opportunities, but after an injury-free pre-season he said he was ready to nail down a regular first-grade spot.

''This is the best I've felt for a while,'' he said. ''It definitely helps when you've got a few miles in your legs and you're not coming into games underdone.

''I didn't have a good year last year ... I probably didn't deserve to be [selected] at times.

''There was a few games where I thought it was a bit rough to be dropped, but I probably wasn't playing that great.

''But there's no reason why I can't [hold down a spot] it's up to me now.''

Furner is hoping Kelly can help spark his team's attack, after the Raiders scored just four points against the Sydney Roosters at Canberra Stadium last Sunday.

The Raiders took until the 79th minute to crack a defence that had conceded 52 points in round one.

Kelly is the sole change to the backline and after scoring two tries for Queensland Cup side Souths Logan last week he hoped he could have a similar impact for the Raiders.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times