SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 06: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad of the Raiders looks on during the 2019 NRL Grand Final match between the Canberra Raiders and the Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

Sunday's win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs has come at a cost for the Canberra Raiders, with the club confirming they'll be without Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad for six weeks with a hamstring injury.

This is the last thing the team and Ricky Stuart needed. With three wins on the trot, they were just finding their form in 2022.

Missing Nicoll-Klokstad at fullback means either Jordan Rapana will have to move to the back, or Xavier Savage will be awarded the number one jersey. Savage would play on the wing should Rapana be picked at fullback.

It was only a few weeks ago that Stuart said Savage wasn't ready for the NRL after he was bundled into touch with his first run.

While Rapana can make metres with the best of them and fullback allows him to do that, his best position is undoubtedly on the wing.

In the two games Rapana has played fullback in 2020, the Raiders have lost both. They have won four of the seven games in which he has been on the wing.

Facing the Parramatta Eels and Sydney Roosters next, changing that pattern won't be easy.

Fortunately, Nicoll-Klokstad's hamstring is (almost) the only injury plaguing the Raiders.

Jamal Fogarty, Canberra's big off-season signing, is expected to return earlier than first thought. The knee injury he sustained in a trial against the Manly Sea Eagles, requiring surgery, could have kept him out as late as round 17.

Depending on his assessment, he could be back as early as this week.

As for the shoulder injury Jarrod Croker suffered in his return to the NRL in Round 9, it's good news. You could see him back on the field as soon as round 12, or as late as round 14.

Without Nicoll-Klokstad, the inclusion of these two would be a massive boost ahead of two season-changing games.

Knocking off the Parramatta Eels this week would have them in the top-eight as the season halfway point nears.