Canberra Raiders lock Shaun Fensom says the next three weeks leading into the representative bye round will be crucial to setting up his team's season.
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The seventh-placed Raiders are in the middle of a logjam of sides nestled in the bottom half of the top eight heading into Sunday's clash with the fourth-placed Cronulla Sharks at Canberra Stadium.
Last weekend's crushing 36-6 loss to the Parramatta Eels has dumped the Raiders in the middle of the premiership ladder.
Showing the closeness of the competition, only two points separate the second-placed North Queensland Cowboys and the Manly Sea Eagles, who are in 10th place.
The Raiders host the Sharks and the Wests Tigers and travel to Bathurst to face Penrith before having the week off for the Test and City v Country encounter.
Fensom said it was vital the Raiders took momentum into the break to avoid having to chase their tails once they return.
"We'll be aiming to win three from three with two games at home and one away at Bathurst," Fensom said.
"It's very important to get back into winning form especially at home after we lost to the Titans.
"We've had two weeks on the road, so we're looking forward to the next two weeks in Canberra."
The Raiders are seventh with seven competition points with three wins, two losses and a draw with the Newcastle Knights.
Of their first six games, only the 22-8 victory against the Bulldogs at Belmore Oval in round five was against a team inside the top eight.
The Sharks will also provide a stern test for the Raiders after they moved inside the top four with a 25-20 win over the Titans last weekend.
The Tigers (11th, four points) and the Panthers (12th, four points) are potent attacking sides and will be tough to beat.
Inconsistency has been the trademark of the Raiders. They have shown they can match any team in the competition when they are at their best, but are also capable of making fundamental mistakes and giving up big leads, as they did against the Titans and the Eels.
Fensom said it was important their forward pack aimed up after a less than stellar effort against the Eels.
"Across the board, we need to hit harder in defence and run harder in attack," Fensom said.
"We dropped the ball on tackle one or two and were giving away silly penalties.
"We'll cut all that out and get back to the basics of running hard and tackling hard."
Fensom said he was aiming to become an 80-minute player once again, while Sia Soliola is sidelined for the next four to six weeks recovering from a broken arm.
