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Canberra teammates are counting their lucky stars with skipper Jarrod Croker cleared of a serious shoulder injury.

Canberra fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad says there was a sigh of relief when Raiders captain Jarrod Croker was cleared of serious injury following their narrow win over Canterbury.

Croker returned to NRL action in Friday's 14-4 victory after off-season stem cell surgery on his knee, but was forced off in the second half while trying to prevent a try.

The 31-year-old has been cleared of any serious injury to his shoulder, with the Raiders confident the centre will miss just the next two to three weeks.

Seb Kris replaces Croker for this Sunday's game against the Cronulla Sharks, with Xavier Savage moving onto the bench.

"It was such a massive relief especially for the skipper, my heart goes out for him," Nicoll-Klokstad said.

"He's been a really great servant of this club and what he brought on the weekend was a testament to who he is as a player and as a leader.

"He's someone each and every one of us love playing with.

"To get a much better result, because he doesn't require surgery, is great and I'm so pleased for him and I'm looking forward to having him back in the team."

The Raiders had won just two games prior to the victory over the Bulldogs and Nicoll-Klokstad - one of the most dependable players in recent seasons - was benched and then dropped to reserve grade.

The New Zealand international said he needed the reality check.

"It was a little bit of a different three weeks for me," he said.

"I spent two weeks on the bench for first grade and then I went and played in the NSW Cup.

"It was good for me to refocus and reset my mindset and sort of get back to what I'm wanting to do."