Now the Canberra Raiders outside back is on the verge of making his NRL debut.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has brought Anderson onto his bench as cover for his backline against St George Illawarra at the Gold Coast on Friday.

Initially, Anderson wasn't part of the 29-man squad Stuart picked to be part of his Queensland bubble.

But an injury to second-rower Harry Rushton (knee) in the very last training session before they left opened the door for the 22-year-old.

"He's very, very motivated. We had a player pull out of the 29... through injury. It was Harry Rushton, who hurt his knee in the last session before we came to the Gold Coast," Stuart said.

"So I grabbed 'EJ' and said, 'Mate, I'd like to take you to our hub'.

"And just the way he thanked me and appreciated being with the squad, let alone being in an NRL team for this weekend, was a sign to me that he was ambitious and hungry, and that's what I love."

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This time last year Anderson was working full-time as a social worker in Rockhampton, playing rugby union after the Queensland Cup was called off due to the coronavirus.

But then the Raiders came calling and he moved to Canberra on a train-and-trial contract, where Stuart said he was shocked at first by the workload required in an NRL pre-season.

So impressive has he been, he's got a contract until the end of 2022.

Stuart felt it was a similar journey to Xavier Savage, who was a revelation in his two NRL games at fullback for the Green Machine before a shoulder injury ended his season.

"EJ was only just saying to the group, when he got his jumper presented to him, this time last year he had a full-time job, doing everything he possibly could to get an opportunity," He said.

"We gave him an opportunity for a trial-train and that's been extended out to another season.

"Very similar to Xavier Savage ... now they've both shown they've got something."

The Raiders coach said Anderson could evolve into a centre, but the wing was his best position at the moment.

Anderson's taken Matthew Timoko's utility spot on the bench, with Timoko starting in the centres to cover for Sebastian Kris (concussion).

"He's a footy player. He's got good speed, he's got good strength into collision - defensively or with the football," Stuart said.

"They're a couple of things I look at especially from an outside back point of view.

"He's got a good catch and pass, he's a footy player. They're easy to pick when you know they're committed."

NRL ROUND 21

Friday: Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons on the Gold Coast, 6pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Jordan Rapana, 2. Semi Valemei, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Harley Smith-Shields, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Sam Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Ryan Sutton. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Corey Harawira-Naera, 16. Emre Guler, 17. Elijah Anderson. Reserves: 18. Sia Soliola, 19. Dunamis Lui, 20. Matt Frawley, 21. Siliva Havili.

Dragons squad: 1. Jack Bird, 2. Mathew Feagai, 3. Cody Ramsey, 4. Zac Lomax, 5. Mikaele Ravalawa, 6. Corey Norman, 7. Adam Clune, 8. Blake Lawrie, 9. Andrew McCullough, 10. Josh McGuire, 11. Billy Burns, 12. Tariq Sims, 13. Jack de Belin. Interchange: 14. Talatau Amone, 15. Jackson Ford, 16. Jaiyden Hunt, 17. Kaide Ellis. Reserves: 18. Matthew Dufty, 19. Poasa Faamausili, 20. Jayden Sullivan, 21. Daniel Alvaro.