It's just another football field with a set of posts at each end to give it "that sense of rugby league" - but it is the perfect training venue for one of the NRL's brightest talents.

It is here Canberra Raiders fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad has been working to push himself ahead of the pack ahead of the NRL's planned return date of May 28.

The Raiders squad have gone their separate ways to train in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic which has cast doubt over the league's immediate future.

It might just be a period which splits the NRL's contenders from the pretenders.

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Nicoll-Klokstad admits training on his own was something of a shock to his system but now the New Zealand international has found a groove he expects some across the league have not.

"Man, the first couple of sessions were so hard. I had a week or two off and I just don't think it really sunk in," Nicoll-Klokstad said.

"I was enjoying the food and stuff I wouldn't really do during the season. In the first couple of sessions it all caught up with me.

"Now I'm in a routine, it's easier to get going, especially with how close the start date is. It's really a good opportunity to put yourself in a better position than other people.

"I can guarantee there are going to be some players not doing much, or the bare minimum. That's my theory anyway, we'll see in round one, or round three I guess.

"I've just been training predominantly on my own. I get the kids down to the field, do my fitness before playing with them, and throw the ball around with them.

"I think there's a positive in most things to be honest, and no doubt the time I have been able to spend with my family has been a huge positive for myself so I'm really enjoying it. But I can't wait to get back into it."

Nicoll-Klokstad has been trying to stick to a pre-season style training schedule while he waits for the all clear to return to the Raiders' new high performance centre in Braddon.

That means weights from Monday to Wednesday, before heading to the field from Thursday to Saturday to keep the legs ticking over.

One of those days is a long distance running session, while the others are brimming with sprints as Nicoll-Klokstad does all he can to "tick all the boxes and make sure I'm ready to go".

And of course Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is never far away.

"He's such a good coach, he's always checking up on us," Nicoll-Klokstad said.

"We're having weekly Zoom calls to keep all of us updated on what is going on. Hopefully the broadcast deal kicks off and we can get into training a bit earlier.

"He always stresses at the end of the call that he is only a message away, stressing we have to be ready to go and making sure we're good mentally."