Raiders coach Ricky Stuart opted for caution with Tapine and will likely take an unchanged 17 to face the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday.

A win will give the Raiders a 3-1 start to an NRL season for the first time since 2005, but Tapine didn't pass his fitness test on Wednesday.

It means the same 17 that beat the Newcastle Knights 17-10 at Canberra Stadium last week, with Hudson Young set to play his second NRL game off the bench, will take on the Cowboys.

Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton was looking to bounce back from an up-and-down game against the Knights, where he produced a couple of errors, but also produced some crucial plays as well - including a charge down that led to a try.

He admitted those errors would've played on his mind in the past, but he felt he'd grown as a player over the past 12 months.

"She was an up-and-down game, but 100 per cent it was all about how you bounce back, isn't it," Wighton said.

"Those things are going to happen throughout the year and it probably won't be the last time things are going to go wrong in a game, but it's how you bounce back.

"I think my head would've fallen off a few years ago, but I'm progressing slowly."

He'll partner Sam Williams in the halves for the second time, with Aidan Sezer (oblique) out injured for another couple of weeks.

Wighton said Williams' presence had been a calming factor for him.

"Sammy's great. He's a little organiser and he really helped me out," he said.

"Every time you get to play with someone, the more and more you do it the better you get together.

"He just brings that calmness and organisation. He's got a really level head, he's been around for ages and is really good at what he does."

Wighton was one of a couple of high-profile fullbacks making the switch to five-eighth this season, along with Kalyn Ponga.

Knights coach Nathan Brown has opted to switch Ponga back to the No.1 jersey this week.

While Wighton said he'd play wherever the team needed him, he was happy at pivot.

He's been helped by the emergence of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad as an NRL-standard custodian.

Nicoll-Klokstad's emergence from across the Ditch, where he was a member of the New Zealand Warriors squad, has given Wighton time to settle into the No.6 jersey.

But Wighton has also helped Nicoll-Klokstad slot in seamlessly to his new role.

"If I have any questions, he is definitely the first fella I go to, just because I know he has been there and done that," Nicoll-Klokstad said.

"He’s a great player in whatever position he plays. He has definitely got the knowledge and it’s just about picking at him and seeing what you can get.

"Even a few things leading up to the game on the weekend, if you have any queries he is always there to answer your questions or give you a bit of guidance. He’s been really good for me."

NRL ROUND FOUR

Saturday: North Queensland Cowboys v Canberra Raiders in Townsville, 5.30pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Sam Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson (c), 10. Dunamis Lui, 11. John Bateman, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Ryan Sutton. Interchange: 14. Siliva Havili, 15. Hudson Young, 16. Sia Soliola, 17. Corey Horsburgh. Reserves: 18. Joe Tapine, 19. Jack Murchie, 20. Bailey Simonsson, 21. JJ Collins.

Cowboys squad: 1. Te Maire Martin, 2. Nene Macdonald, 3. Jordan Kahu, 4. Ben Hampton, 5. Javid Bowen, 6. Jake Clifford, 7. Michael Morgan (c), 8. Matthew Scott, 9. Jake Granville, 10. Jordan McLean, 11. Gavin Cooper, 12. Coen Hess, 13. Jason McGuire. Interchange: 14. John Asiata, 15. Corey Jensen, 16. Mitchell Dunn, 17. Francis Molo. Reserves: 18. Shane Wright, 19. Justin O'Neill, 20. Peter Hola, 21. Enari Tuala.