Injuries to representative props David Shillington and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs have potentially opened the door for 21-year-old Boyd, whom veteran prop Brett White has compared to Bulldogs behemoth Sam Kasiano, considered the heaviest player in Australian rugby league history.

Boyd was the surprise inclusion in the 20-man Raiders squad for next Saturday's season-opener against the Cowboys in Townsville, the second rookie alongside centre Matt Allwood.

Weighing in at 129kg last year, Boyd has stripped back to a still hefty 119kg.

While it's much lighter than Kasiano, who has been recorded at 133kg, White said Boyd had the potential to make a similar impact on the NRL.

''He's got that Kasiano-type body, and I think he'll come on and play a similar role with impact - he'll get us on the front foot,'' White said.

''Last year you could probably tell he needed more time, he was a bit off on the mental side of it, getting his head around the workload required to play at that level. This off-season he's grown and fixed those things up.

''He's had a massive pre-season, he's been fantastic. You watch us do conditioning and most of the session he'll be in front. It's a big ask of a man that size, but he's trained the house down, he's shredded his bodyfat and he's in good condition.

''He's certainly put himself in the mix and what a way to debut - against the two best front-rowers in the game.''

The Cowboys are led by Australian Kangaroos props James Tamou and Matt Scott, a big task for the depleted Raiders pack.

Shillington suffered rib cartilage damage in the final trial match against the Newcastle Knights, while Learoyd-Lahrs rolled his ankle at training on Wednesday.

It was initially feared Learoyd-Lahrs would miss up to six weeks, but scans have given him hope he could be back within two weeks.

Learoyd-Lahrs has not played NRL since May last year due to a foot injury, but he was one of the rare Raiders players who lined up in all pre-season matches, including the Auckland Nines.

''To get through the entire pre-season and then a little niggle like this at the last moment is frustrating,'' Learoyd-Lahrs said.

White, Dane Tilse Paul Vaughan, Mark Nicholls and Boyd will contest for the likely four prop spots in round one, but Learoyd-Lahrs backed any combination to take on Scott and Tamou.

''I've got a lot of faith in our guys, I still believe whoever comes up against those blokes can get on top of them,'' Learoyd-Lahrs said.

''They're only flesh and blood. They deserve the accolades they get, but whoever turns up on the day with the right attitude and is willing to get down and dirty will come out on top.''

White said: ''They're the two best props in the game - it's always going to be a big challenge. But we've been lucky we've got a healthy amount of numbers as far as front-rowers go - we might be down a couple, but we've still got some good blokes.''