Raiders coach Ricky Stuart put another piece of his long-term-success puzzle in place on Friday when assistant Dean Pay committed to a new two-year contract.

Hawke hopes the team's surge to the NRL finals transfers into off-field support, revealing the club has set a target of recruiting 20,000 members in the coming years.

More than 14,000 tickets have already been sold for the Raiders' last home game of the regular season against the Parramatta Eels on Sunday and it is hoped a 20,000-strong crowd will fill Canberra Stadium.

But the effects of being third on the ladder are already being felt with the once-shunned Raiders transforming into an enticing destination for off-contract players.

The Raiders have all but finalised their roster for the 2017 season, but Hawke said that hadn't stopped players wanting to be a part of what the club is building.

"Ricky wanted to start with a blank sheet of paper, and he did," Hawke said.

"We were told time and time again that we couldn't attract good footballers to Canberra unless we paid over the odds.

"We did that for a while ... but we decided that we wanted to combine our development with getting players to come here.

"The extraordinary transition over that period is that we've had agents and players approach us now to want to come down here because they must know what's going on.

"We don't pay over the odds for players that play here, and that includes staff. Dean Pay is a Dubbo boy, his family is settled here and that's what we're trying to build – a sense of community around the Raiders."

Hawke and the Raiders board took a leap of faith at the start of the year and re-signed Stuart on a deal until at least 2018 despite Canberra failing to make the finals in 2014 and 2015.

The move has paid dividends with Stuart delivering success on the field and the Raiders can secure a top-four finish to the season if they beat the Eels this weekend.

Players have seen what Stuart is building and have signed new contracts to stay in the capital, while Pay's new deal locks in the Canberra brains-trust.

Pay and Stuart were roommates on the 1994 Kangaroos tour and moved to Canberra together three years ago to start their Raiders mission.

"It's really pleasing to see where the squad is at and getting another two years on the contract is exciting. We're looking forward to the next few years," Pay said.

"The boys are settled, they're happy off the field and with the staff. We're all working hard and working in one direction and you can see the results.

"From where we stand, the boys are buying in and they've done that from day one. You can see the results out of it."

Hype is building around the Green Machine after winning nine of their past 11 games.

They have charged into third spot on the ladder and beating the Eels will secure them a second chance in the finals.

They play the Eels, Manly Sea Eagles and Wests Tigers in their last three games of the regular season and Stuart has narrowed their focus to ensure the players don't get swept away in the excitement.

The biggest crowd in almost four years watched the Raiders beat the Melbourne Storm last weekend and officials hope the last home game of the year will attract more than 20,000.

Hawke said all were welcome on the Raiders bandwagon and hoped the end-of-season support would translate into record memberships.

"The most important thing is the playing group and what they're seeing is stability around the coaching staff," Hawke said.

"The team is seriously happy with all of that. You can see it in the players and the way they work.

"We've got to keep our heads on the ground here. We're over 15,000 members and our best was just over 10,000 before this year.

"We've got our sights set on 20,000 members and that affects the players like you wouldn't believe."

NRL ROUND 24

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium, 2pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.