The Raiders have conceded 50 unanswered points during the opening 20 minutes of their past three games corresponding with their slide down the ladder.

Raiders prop Shannon Boyd knows the trend can't continue if his side is going to get back in the winners' circle against an equally desperate Newcastle Knights at Hunter Stadium on Saturday.

"The first 20 minutes of the game is quite fast, so hopefully we can get a few better starts," Boyd said. "We've been talking about just working hard at the little things and do all that right. If we can get that right, surely it will turn around soon."

The Raiders have been able to get themselves back in each contest during that period despite those slow starts.

They were down 12-0 against the St George Illawarra Dragons, closing the gap to two points in the second half before the Dragons prevailed 32-18.

The following week, an Origin-depleted Bulldogs side was all over the Raiders, racing out to a 26-0 advantage. The Raiders drew level at 34-all before the Bulldogs scored seven points in the final minute of the incredible encounter.

It was a similar scene last Saturday as the Broncos led early 12-0 before the Raiders scored two converted tries to get back in the match. But a freakish try on the stroke of halftime gave the Broncos the edge and they ran out 24-12 winners.

After a promising start to the season, the Raiders have now slipped to 10th on the ladder.

The Knights are also struggling, having moved down to 12th with an identical 5-7 record as the Raiders.

Raiders utility Jarrad Kennedy said it was important to regain the momentum heading into the bye the following week.

"It's a big game this weekend, it's a four-point game leading into a bye," Kennedy said. "It's only a couple of small things we have to fix up, we're not far off. We've just got to get some consistency and hopefully we'll get a win this weekend."

Kennedy was moved into the outside backs against the Broncos as Ricky Stuart continues to search for the right combinations.

Edrick Lee and Sisa Waqa have both been tried at right centre this season but have been switched back to the respective wings.

Waqa reverts to the centres against the Knights to accommodate Jordan Rapana's return after missing the past two games with a fractured cheekbone.

Kennedy moves back to the bench where he provides cover in the outside backs and also the forwards.

"It's good to be able to have that versatility and I have a lot of learning to do in the centres," Kennedy said. "It's not far from standing in the back-row, but it's so much different. It's just going back to memory and there's so many things you forget about."