Rumours circulated the Raiders board was open to implementing a two-year maximum deal which could have made the recruitment and retention of key players difficult.

More than half of Canberra's 17-man squad that will face the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville on Sunday is coming off-contract this year.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has called for the NRL to change the contracting system, but it appears placing a cap on deals is not the way to do it.

It would create clouds of uncertainty similar to the one that hovers over Canberra at the moment with forwards Sia Soliola, Siliva Havili, Junior Paulo, Luke Bateman, Shannon Boyd, Josh Papalii and Dunamis Lui, and starting halves Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer reaching the end of their deals this year.

Paulo is reportedly on the way back to Parramatta on a four-year deal worth almost $3 million, while the club has been in discussions with a host of other key players for some time.

Raiders recruitment manager Peter Mulholland pointed to the long-term extensions handed to hooker Josh Hodgson (end of 2022), forward Elliott Whitehead and captain Jarrod Croker (end of 2020) as proof the board won't be capping contracts.

Raiders great Alan Tongue, who has "no doubt" an uncertain future can affect players, identifies Papalii as a signing priority even though the State of Origin incumbent has constantly left him wanting more this season.

"He’s a Queensland and Australian representative, he’s a quality player and you need that, but he needs to show on his behalf too that he is going to rip in and play his backside out week in, week out," Tongue said.

"It’s got to go both ways, it’s important for the club to retain a player like that but he has really got to put in the performances that the club wants from him too.

"You’re thinking he has got to have 15 to 20 carries a game but we just haven’t seen that, and that’s not all Josh’s fault too - they’ve got to get the footy to him - but he definitely could be a bit more hungry in his performances."

Papalii has a chance to prove his worth against a former teammate in Shaun Fensom, the former Raiders warhorse making his first appearance for the Cowboys since suffering a horrific broken leg in last year's grand final.

The 29-year-old returns to a North Queensland side in dire straits - widely tipped to go deep into September, they sit second last after seven rounds - but Tongue thinks Fensom can spark a change in fortunes.

Fensom once unwittingly fractured his arm at Raiders training and turned up in the gym the next day for a weights session, and in 2014 he had returned from a full knee reconstruction well ahead of schedule.

"That probably sums him up pretty well, that tough as nails sort of guy," Tongue said.

"He’s got a terrific work ethic and how he prepares off the field is how he plays on it, it’s as simple as that. He works really hard and he is so consistent.

"You know what you’re going to get out of him each week, the difference between his best performance and his worst performance is very small and that’s what you want from your players, he certainly delivers that.

"I think everybody just had huge expectations and that is why everybody is putting question marks on them, but I think that win last weekend is a step in the right direction for them.

"No doubt they’re going to be really, really tough to beat."

NRL ROUND EIGHT

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v North Queensland Cowboys at Townsville, 7.35pm. Live on Fox League.

Raiders squad: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Sia Soliola, 9. Siliva Havili, 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Joe Tapine, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Josh Papalii. Interchange from: 14. Ata Hingano, 15. Shannon Boyd, 16. Luke Bateman, 17. Dunamis Lui, 18. Liam Knight, 19. Michael Oldfield, 20. Brad Abbey, 21. Jack Murchie.

Cowboys squad: 1. Lachlan Coote, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Justin O’Neill, 4. Ben Hampton, 5. Antonio Winterstein, 6. Michael Morgan, 7. Johnathan Thurston, 8. Matt Scott, 9. Jake Granville, 10. Scott Bolton, 11. Gavin Cooper, 12. Coen Hess, 13. Jason Taumalolo. Interchange from: 14. Te Maire Martin, 15. Shaun Fensom, 16. Corey Jensen, 17. Ethan Lowe, 18. Francis Molo, 19. Jake Clifford, 20. Enari Tuala, 21. Sam Hoare.