Canberra utility Joel Thompson says he was only just starting to get comfortable in the second row before suffering an ankle sprain in the Raiders’ 22-6 NRL loss to North Queensland.

He’s been left gutted by the injury, which is expected to cost him three weeks when scan results come back on Tuesday.

It’s likely to rule him out of Country selection, but Thompson said sitting out matches for the Raiders was the cruellest blow.

“Missing the Raiders’ games comes first and I’m devastated,” he said.

“I was loving the forward pack and every week I get more used to it, coming from the centres … so to come out with that injury is just devastating.”

It’s the latest in a line of injuries for the Raiders, who are already without fullback Josh Dugan and lock Shaun Fensom until round 10, while David Shillington is a doubtful starter for Sunday’s match against the Warriors.

If that wasn’t enough, Thompson’s injury was part of a double hit on Monday, with prop Brett White ruled out for the season after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee against the Cowboys.

“We’ve got the best strength and conditioning and rehab programs there are, but it just comes down to bad luck,” Thompson said of the Raiders’ injury woes.

But he expects the Raiders to fill the void where it counts, particularly given the loss of White.

“He’s a good leader as well as a good talker, so he’s going to be a big loss, but there’s a lot of players – Tilsey (Dane Tilse), and big Tommy (Learoyd-Lahrs) and Campo (Terry Campese) who will stand up.”

Coach David Furner insists injuries won’t be used as an excuse on Sunday, when the Raiders will be looking to secure their first win at home after two failed attempts.

“It is frustrating and we’ve had our fair share, but I spoke about it yesterday and we can’t use that as an excuse,” he said.

Furner said he’ll be looking to the Raiders’ feeder club Mounties to flesh out his squad on Sunday, rating Mark Nicholls and Jarrad Kennedy a good chance to make the side.