The shock news left Raiders coaching staff in a tricky position just as the squad prepared to depart for Queensland.

Young hooker Adrian Trevilyan had his debut in round two after English veteran Josh Hodgson's round one season-ending injury, but the 20-year-old is currently dealing with a hamstring injury.

That opened the door for Zac Woolford, son of Raiders great Simon Woolford, to be a surprise late addition to the side for Sunday. The Canberra-born hooker has played a total of 83 NSW Cup games since 2017, with previous stints at the Bulldogs, Knights and Newtown Jets.

Woolford only joined the Raiders from the Jets a few weeks ago though, after being recruited to bolster their depth at dummy-half. Now after just three games in green in NSW Cup, Woolford has made a mad dash north to make his long-awaited NRL debut for the Raiders.

He will work in rotation with No.14 Tom Starling.

"I'm really proud of him. It's been a long, hard road for him the last few years and he's just a very, very resilient character," Woolford's dad Simon said of his son.

"He's never given up, he finally gets to realise his dream, and what better club to do that for than Canberra."

Former skipper Simon Woolford played 233 games for the Green Machine and said it was "special" that his son would make his debut with the Raiders. The whole Woolford family are planning to be in attendance in Brisbane for the milestone.

"It's pretty surreal. He had the rugby league world at his feet, there were things he could have done better, and had some bad luck along the way," the proud father said.

"He's got a lot to offer. I'm grateful that the Raiders have shown faith and given him a crack.

"He's got a job to do now. It's up to him to make the most of it. I'm sure deep down he's really excited.

"He's only been back there [in Canberra] a month now. He's obviously done the right thing since he got there, and they have been impressed with what he's done and the attitude he's brought.

"He won't be out of place."

All week Elliott had been battling illness - confirmed not to be COVID-19 - and did not take part in training for much of the lead-up to the Cronulla clash in Brisbane.

With Elliott unable to play because of illness/injury, and Woolford not named in the initial squad on Tuesday, the Raiders had to get a special exemption to include the 25-year-old as a late inclusion. From next week however those NRL exemption request requirements will not be in place any longer.

Adding to the headache of Elliott's omission, it is understood the Raiders are also sweating about the health of five-eighth Matt Frawley.

For the second week the No.6 is filling in for suspended star Jack Wighton, after a top performance in Canberra's win over the Bulldogs last week. But like Elliott, Frawley has been knocked about by the flu and is in doubt for Sunday's match.

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