Raiders fullback Jordan Rapana says he doesn't feel any pressure replacing injured star Jack Wighton and is happy to keep the No 1 jersey warm until his return.
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Rapana comes back into the Raiders side for Saturday night's clash with the St George Illawarra Dragons at Canberra Stadium.
The 26-year-old will be playing just his ninth NRL game after missing last Sunday's 18-6 loss to the New Zealand Warriors with a hamstring strain sustained in the opening round win against the Cronulla Sharks.
Rapana scored a brilliant try on the wing, but returns to his favourite fullback position as cover for Wighton, who will be out for up to three weeks with a fractured eye socket.
Wighton has been outstanding in the Raiders' first two games of the season with his positional play, last-ditch defence and his ability to create something out of nothing in attack.
"The last two games have showed how much of a freak he is," Rapana said.
"Obviously I'm nowhere near that calibre, so all I'm going to do is play my game, playing as safe as I can and playing the best that I can for the team.
"I love that position (fullback), that's probably my most familar position, I've played that the majority of my life, so I'm pretty excited and ready to go."
Rapana is making up for lost time after making his first-grade debut with the Gold Coast Titans in 2008.
He took two years out of the game to complete a Mormon mission before trying his hand at rugby union with the ACT Brumbies.
After performing strongly in the Queensland Cup last year, Rapana returned to the NRL with the Raiders with two games at fullback near the end of the season before fracturing his skull in the round 23 match with the Dragons.
Remarkably, he played the final 25 minutes of the game with a fractured skull and required 60 staples to hold his scalp together.
"It's an injury that sounds a lot worse than it is," Rapana said.
"It's absolutely fine now.
"I can't catch a break (injury wise), but I'm optimistic and confident this season will be a good season for me and an injury-free one and get a lot of football under my belt."
In another change to the Raiders backline, electrifying finisher Edrick Lee returns to the wing after playing the opening two rounds in the centres.
Second-rower Jarrad Kennedy has been shifted to the centres.
Lee has made his name in the past three seasons on the wing with his athletic ability, leaping high to catch bombs aimed in his direction.
"I was lucky enough to get my first opportunity on the wing, so during this pre-season I've been learning both positions," Lee said.
"(Playing in the centres) has been a lot different to the wing, it comes back to the workload, you make more tackles and it comes back to your decision making on the edge.
"I've had the two games there and I'm back on the wing, but if any opportunity comes to play in the centres, I'll put my hand up."
SATURDAY: NRL round 3: Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons at Canberra Stadium, 5.30pm.
