Raiders fullback Jack Wighton says Canberra's clash with the Newcastle Knights is "definitely" shaping up as a must-win at Hunter Stadium on Sunday.

Newcastle have given the Raiders some headaches over the past year and Wighton says Canberra are itching to "get the ball rolling" to avoid a third-straight loss.

Canberra have won just seven of 27 matches decided by a converted try or less since 2014, with four of those losses coming this season.

Newcastle have won just two of their past 35 games and haven't beaten the Raiders since 2014 - but they are a vastly improved side compared to last season.

While they often haven't managed to strike the killer blow, the Knights have matched it with their opposition more often this year and could pose a threat to Canberra if history repeats.

The Knights thrashed an under-strength Raiders outfit 44-0 in a pre-season trial this year, while a stunning golden point try was all that separated the two sides last season.

Wighton can't quite put his finger on why the Knights give the Green Machine so many headaches and says their recent record suggests they can't take the NRL's cellar dwellers lightly.

"They just turn up full of energy when they play us," Wighton said.

"It's always a game we're up for too and we know it's going to be a tough clash and we definitely won't win it early in the game.

"We're going to have to really fix the little things we've been letting ourselves down on to get this one.

"We're expecting a really tough match, same as always. They're an energetic team, they're a tough team. So it's going to be a big one."

The Raiders are itching to get back out on the park and fix up where they have been going wrong in recent weeks.

Canberra slumped to back-to-back defeats leading into the representative round and back-rower Elliott Whitehead says the Raiders "can't really afford" to drop three on the trot.

The Green Machine are 10th on the NRL ladder but sit just two wins outside the top four, while the Knights are facing an uphill battle to avoid a third consecutive wooden spoon.

It's a golden opportunity for the Raiders to kickstart their 2017 season leading into a testing period.

"We want to get back to winning ways this week," Whitehead said.

"It's going to be a tough ask going up to Newcastle but I'm sure they're going to want to get the win as much as we do.

"They've got some good players in that team, they'll be wanting to get the two points as much as we do. We really need to get the two points this week, we can't really afford to lose three on the bounce now.

"We're going to have to put a great performance in and I believe we can do that."

The Raiders will be forced to do it without one of their best with second-rower Josh Papalii serving a one-game ban for his drink-driving conviction.

But Whitehead believes the Green Machine won't miss a beat on the right-edge with Sia Soliola filling Papalii's boots in the No. 11 jersey.

"[Sia] can play in a few positions and he gives 100 per cent," Whitehead said.

"Most of the time he's one of the best players on the park so hopefully he can perform that well this week."

NRL ROUND 10

Sunday: Newcastle Knights v Canberra Raiders at Hunter Stadium, 2pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2.

Raiders team: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Junior Paulo, 9. Josh Hodgson , 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Sia Soliola, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Luke Bateman. Interchange: 14. Adam Clydsdale, 15. Dunamis Lui, 16. Clay Priest, 17. Joe Tapine, 18. Scott Sorensen, 19. Jordan Turner, 20. Dave Taylor, 21. Zac Santo.

Knights team: 1. Brendan Elliott 2. Ken Sio 3. Dane Gagai 4. Peter Mata'utia 5. Nathan Ross 6. Brock Lamb 7. Jaelen Feeney 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Danny Levi 10. Josh Starling 11. Sione Mata'utia 12. Sam Stone 13. Luke Yates. Interchange: 14. Anthony Tupou 15. Joe Wardle 16. Jack Stockwell 17. Jacob Saifiti 18. Trent Hodkinson 19. Tyler Randell 20. Josh King 21. Lachlan Fitzgibbon.