Canberra prop David Shillington says he's determined not to let his game fall back into a conservative rut, saying he and the Raiders are rebuilding from the "broken-down team" that finished 2013.
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Shillington is on track to make his comeback from a six-month chest injury in Canberra's final trial match, against the Newcastle Knights at Queanbeyan's Seiffert Oval on February 21.
Having lost his representative spots in the Queensland and Australian teams in 2013, Shillington rebounded with strong personal form in 2014, before suffering the season-ending chest injury in August.
Shillington admitted he'd previously been playing one-dimensional football, concerned mistakes would compound the team's problems.
"To be honest I just started playing so conservatively," Shillington said.
"I got stuck in a rut just hitting the ball up and just doing my job in that respect, and not trying to separate myself from other front rowers with my skill level.
"I've always been able to offload, I've probably tucked it away sometimes and played conservative.
"That's sometimes a reflection of how the team's going, you want to do your job and make sure you're not part of the problem.
"I worked on my tackle breaks and second-phase play [last year], it worked for me and the team benefited from it."
Shillington said coach Ricky Stuart had led an overhaul of the team, with a big focus on increasing mental strength.
Although the Raiders finished second-last in 2014, Shillington said the club had made progress with their attitude.
"We had a lot of work to do [after 2013], we were a broken-down team," Shillington said. "We'd picked up some pretty bad habits and were pretty weak in areas, we had to work for 12 months to patch those things up.
"We were constantly stripped for numbers and letting in really soft tries, and in attack we were inconsistent. Ricky's put in place drills working under fatigue and being tough under those conditions. We need to do a lot of work there.
"Our mindset was also something which needed to change a lot. We'd come out and beat a really strong side like Melbourne or the Rabbitohs, then lose to an underperforming one. It's something we've talked about, being more ruthless and not resting on a good win. Having one good win puts you somewhere on the ladder, but it doesn't put you on the top."
Stuart said he was treating Canberra's trial against Newcastle more seriously than any pre-season match in his long coaching career, given the strong competition for positions.
The Raiders intend to start with their strongest team, but will also reward players who performed strongly in last Saturday's 32-20 trial win over the Melbourne Storm in Griffith.
Raiders winger Jordan Rapana was charged with a grade one dangerous tackle from the trial match in Griffith, but he has taken the early plea and is clear to play in the final trial.
