It's why his Canberra Raiders debut will be so special, with the halfback not only receiving his jersey from his wife Kahlia and two daughters Ruby and Zahli - but also doing it in front of the Raiders members who watched the captain's run on Saturday.

After a knee injury delayed it by almost three months, he'll run out for his first game in lime green - against the Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

There was no time for any ceremony when he made his NRL debut - for the Gold Coast against the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown in 2017 - although his family had taken a punt when he was named in the 21-man squad and travelled to Sydney for the game just in case.

"I'm not as good a talker as my husband. Firstly I'd like to thank the club for letting us be here today," Kahlia said.

"When Jamal made his NRL debut he got told at [9am] he was playing so he didn't have any special presentation or anyone there to support him so being here is very special for us and it means a lot.

"Jamal - your hard work, dedication and never-say-die attitude is inspiring.

"There's been plenty of times where we thought this moment would never happen, your career was over, but here you are running out at a new club ... and you've got to be really proud of yourself."

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said it was a beautiful moment and he could tell how much it meant to Fogarty and his family.

Fogarty got through the captain's run - the final box he needed to tick - and Stuart was expecting him to run out against the Eels.

"Having Jamal's wife speak was beautiful. I could just tell how much it meant to not just Jamal but the whole family," Stuart said.

"Jamal is a special character. He's bubbly, upbeat, loves his football.

"He's been involved in every team meeting, every session, right throughout his rehabilitation. He's a very passionate footy player."

It's been anything but a special week for Raiders co-captain Jarrod Croker who dislocated his shoulder at home - after being named for his return to face the Eels.

Sebastian Kris will remain in the centres, where he's played the past two games after Croker first dislocated his shoulder, while James Schiller will come onto the bench as cover for the outside backs.

Croker's had scans on the shoulder, which remained out of the joint for about 40 minutes, and he'll see the surgeon on Wednesday.

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"It's been tough on everybody," Stuart said of his co-captain's injury.

"He's had an awful 18 months just what he's had to go through in regards to his rehabilitation, what mentally he's gone through to get back has shown what type of character he is.

"He's a tough individual and I was devastated to hear the news his shoulder popped out."

Stuart said the form and ability of his middle forwards, like Josh Papalii and Joe Tapine, to play big minutes allowed him to carry an outside back on the bench.

"I'm a coach that likes to have some comfort in some utility value on the bench," he said.

"The last couple of weeks I've had an outside back sitting on the bench and both times I've had to use him.

"There will be a time where that outside back doesn't get any minutes, but fortunately for me at the moment our middles Corey [Horsburgh], Papa, Taps, Ryan Sutton, they're getting big minutes and that's a massive help."

NRL ROUND 12

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Xavier Savage, 2. Nick Cotric, 4. Matt Timoko, 16. Sebastian Kris, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Adam Elliott. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ryan Sutton, 17. Corey Horsburgh, 20. James Schiller. Reserves: 18. Brad Schneider, 22. Trey Mooney.

Eels squad: 1. Clinton Gutherson (c), 2. Waqa Blake, 3. Viliami Penisini, 4. Tom Opacic, 5. Bailey Simonsson, 6. Dylan Brown, 7. Mitchell Moses, 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Shaun Lane, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Isaiah Papali'i. Interchange: 14. Makahesi Makatoa, 15. Ryan Matterson, 16. Oregon Kaufusi, 17. Nathan Brown. Interchange: 18. Bryce Cartwright, 19. Jakob Arthur.

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