After missing all of last season with a devastating ACL injury, Harley Smith-Shields will be forced to wait a little longer to don the green jersey again.

The 23-year-old has been grinding in rehab to get back to full fitness and force his way back into the NRL side, but his 2023 return is on ice after the centre suffered a foot injury in pre-season.

The "minor setback" will rule him out of Canberra's trial against the Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday at Ack Weyman Oval on the South Coast.

"He's got a plantar fascia problem in his foot which will keep him out," Raiders coach Ricky Stuart told The Canberra Times. "He's done too much work to risk it, but Harls is in a good headspace.

"I spoke to him and we don't need to rush him back for the trials."

Meanwhile Raiders veteran Jarrod Croker has been named captain, overcoming injury hurdles of his own last season.

New Raiders recruit Danny Levi will be in the number nine jersey rotating with Zac Woolford on the bench. Fellow rake Tom Starling was seen in a moonboot last month with a toe issue but will play in next week's trial.

Matt Frawley and Brad Schneider will steer the ship in the halves with Jack Wighton on NRL Indigenous All Stars duty in New Zealand and Jamal Fogarty rested.

Stuart named several of his young-gun forwards to start in props Ata Mariota and Emre Guler, with Clay Webb and Trey Mooney in the second row and Corey Horsburgh at lock.

And Stuart has put it to his extended bench - which includes new signing Pasami Saulo - to make the most of their chances in the trials and "show they are NRL ready".

"I want to give everyone some time," Stuart said. "So many of these young players who will get their opportunity, I can't begin to describe how much hard work they've done over the last three months.

"They've had an incredibly high quality pre-season and they deserve whatever minutes they get and I want to give them that opportunity.

"They're so hungry and desperate to play and I love being involved with that sort of emotion.

"They're very fortunate to have senior players that trust them and want to play with them, but they've sharpened up our senior guys too in the way they've applied themselves. I don't have a player there that I don't think can play NRL one day."

The second trial for the Raiders will be at Belmore against the Wests Tigers on February 19.

The NRL trials this year are part of the Pre-Season Challenge where the club with the most points at the end of the two games will claim $100,000 in prizemoney.

The first pre-season hit-out is expected to have an even following of Raiders and Bulldogs fans according to ticket sales, and supporters will have an opportunity to meet their NRL heroes on the field half an hour after the full-time siren.

"There's no greater product than having a live NRL game in the regional areas, for the mums, dads, children and the older generation who have supported the game for so many years," Stuart said.

"It's so critically important to go to these regional areas because we need to keep growing the game and I'm an advocate for taking as many games as possible to the country.

"It's something I'm deeply passionate about."

Canberra Raiders v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Trial 1: Sunday February 12, 3.55pm at Ack Weyman Oval, Moruya

Raiders: 1. Xavier Savage, 2. Albert Hopoate, 3. Jarrod Croker (C), 4. Brad Morkos, 5. Elijah Anderson, 6. Matt Frawley, 7. Brad Schneider, 8. Ata Mariota, 9. Danny Levi, 10. Emre Guler, 11. Clay Webb, 12. Trey Mooney, 13. Corey Horsburgh.

Interchange: 14. Zac Woolford, 15. Pasami Saulo, 16. Jordan Martin, 17. James Schiller, 18. Hohepa Puru, 19. Jed Stuart, 20. Josh Allen, 21. Michael Asomua, 22. Peter Hola, 23. Ethan Strange, 24. Loghan Lewis, 25. Mitchell Spencer, 26. Josh James, 27. Lachlan Lewis, 28. Ray Burns

Trial 2: Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers

Sunday February 19, 2.55pm at Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney

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