The 31-year-old weighs in at 100 kilograms and regularly punches out big minutes for a middle man which could push him ahead of the pack if the NRL cuts back the interchange.

Soliola won't line up in the front-row this week - instead he will play at lock in a revamped squad trying to cover the loss of suspended second-rower Joe Tapine against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Canberra Stadium on Friday night.

He says he is happy to play "wherever the boss tells me to go" but the off-contract veteran could play a vital role at prop in the future as he eyes an extension in Canberra.

The recent departures of Shannon Boyd and Junior Paulo mean dominoes are falling on the open market and the Raiders could turn to Soliola to take on a bigger leadership role up front.

"It’s definitely one of those things, especially in the position I’m at, with my age and the experience I have it just naturally goes that way," Soliola said.

"Whatever happens I’m going to be here helping the boys out as much as I can. Especially over the last couple of years, we have definitely gained a lot of experience with a lot of the playing group.

"With the forwards that we have, definitely a lot of guys that are coming through have gained a lot of knowledge off the guys we’ve got so far. A lot of good young prospects coming through.

"You’ve seen Charlie Gubb make his debut at starting prop last week, and Liam Knight is there always knocking on the door. We’ve got a couple of young guys as well, so we’re not skinny in that area."

Raiders recruitment manager Peter Mulholland is scouring the market for new front-rowers but he won't rush to fill the void until the interchange cap is determined.

The NRL competition committee has met to discuss the possibility of reducing the number of interchanges from eight to six, which would put big-minute forwards in demand.

Canberra are close to signing Englishman Ryan Sutton, a 22-year-old prop that tips the scales at 103 kilograms - he too could fit the mould of the modern day prop.

Soliola has an offer on the table, as does Dunamis Lui, while Josh Papalii's extension is all but done and Luke Bateman has re-signed on a one-year deal.

The club has a one-year option in its favour for Charlie Gubb and the Raiders could also turn to emerging props like Liam Knight and Royce Hunt to prove they are ready for the NRL.

Paulo will join the Parramatta Eels on a mammoth four-year deal worth almost $3 million after Boyd signed a four-year deal with the Gold Coast Titans reportedly worth about $2.4 million.

Raiders forward Luke Bateman says Paulo leaves "about a 130 kilo hole" in the Raiders pack but believes the interchange shift could be a boost for his own game.

"If the interchanges do change, which they’re talking about, it will absolutely change. It will change every team," Bateman said.

"Teams will need to get smaller and fitter. It will probably suit me so I can’t wait for it. It would be good for the game, it would definitely change how we recruit over the next year or two.

"Junior and Boydy can both play big minutes, they’re fit blokes too, so even if the interchange didn’t come down I wouldn’t expect it to affect them too much."

NRL ROUND 12

Friday: Canberra Raiders v Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Canberra Stadium, 6pm. Tickets from Ticketek.

Raiders squad: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Joseph Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Dunamis Lui, 9. Siliva Havili, 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Josh Papalii, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Iosia Soliola. Interchange: 14. Ata Hingano, 15. Luke Bateman, 16. Charlie Gubb, 17. Liam Knight, 18. Emre Guler, 19. Michael Oldfield, 20. Sam Williams, 21. Craig Garvey.

Sea Eagles squad: 1. Tom Trbojevic, 2. Jorge Taufua, 3. Moses Suli, 4. Brian Kelly, 5. Akuila Uate, 6. Trent Hodkinson, 7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c), 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Lewis Brown, 10. Martin Taupau, 11. Joel Thompson, 12. Shaun Lane, 13. Jake Trbojevic. Interchange: 14. Matthew Wright, 15. Frank Winterstein, 16. Lloyd Perrett, 17. Toafofoa Sipley, 18. Thomas Wright, 19. Bradley Parker, 20. Jack Gosiewski, 21. Tevita Funa.