Superstar playmaker Johnathan Thurston is the North Queensland Cowboys mastermind, but the Canberra Raiders say they must stop a forward-pack wrecking ball if they want to win in Townsville on Saturday.
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Raiders hardman Josh Papalii has backed the Green Machine to rise to the challenge against Jason Taumalolo, insisting the new-look pack is ready for one of the most daunting tasks in the NRL.
Reigning Dally M Medal winner Taumalolo is regarded as one of the hardest players to tackle in the competition and Papalii says is the key to toppling the Cowboys in a round-one battle.
"I believe that if he's not going forward, then the Cowboys aren't going forward," Papalii said.
"He's definitely a leader for them and they've got a big pack. We've got a young pack on the rise and it's going to be a tough task against the Cowboys, but it starts with Jason.
"He moves with the speed of the back and should be out wide with his footwork and skills. But he's definitely one of the hardest to tackle ... the scary thing is I don't think we've seen the best of him yet."
The Raiders will start their season without props Junior Paulo and Dave Taylor, who are both serving NRL-imposed suspensions after off-field incidents.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has shuffled his forward pack to cope without Paulo and Taylor, while second-rower Elliott Whitehead has shifted to centre to fill the gap left by injured skipper Jarrod Croker.
"There's going to be a few giants on the field at the same time against the Cowboys," Papalii said.
"But the biggest thing for us is not worrying about what other forward packs can do, it's about what we can do as a team.
"It's tough going to Townsville trying to stop the Cowboys but hopefully it's just as tough as stopping us. Sometimes you beat yourself if you think about it too much, we just need to focus and be ready.
"Having a young forward pack is no excuse, I think we can be together for a long time and hopefully we can do something special."
Papalii has recovered from off-season ankle surgery and is itching to get his season started after being on limited training duties.
He is also desperate to make amends after a drink-driving incident in January that led to him being dropped from the Raiders' leadership group.
The 24-year-old has already played 129 NRL games and is one of several Raiders who are off-contract at the end of the 2018 season.
But Papalii declared his intention to be a "Raiders for life" to repay the club for the faith it has put in him.
"If it was up to me, I'd sign a 10-year contract and stay here for life," Papalii said.
"Obviously that depends on my performances and only I can control that. It has to fit in with the Raiders plans and there are a lot of good, young players coming through.
"I can only do the best I can to stay here. My goal is to stay here for life and you've got to play good footy to do that."
