"My daughter looked at me, confused, and said ‘no daddy, you stay with this team’."

That was that. If Lui had even thought about leaving Canberra - something he never seriously considered - his daughter had just put a line through those plans.

Lui has penned a three-year extension in a massive boost for the Raiders as they prepare to face a reeling Wests Tigers outfit at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

The 28-year-old had multiple offers on the table from rival clubs and he took less money to stay in Canberra, so happy is his family in the capital.

Lui's new deal will keep him in lime green until the end of the 2021 season in a massive reversal of fortunes considering where he was 12 months ago.

One play turned Lui's 2017 season on its head when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, leaving him to battle through a "really tough" rehabilitation phase.

He battled back and hasn't missed a game for the Green Machine all year, suggesting he has finally found his feet at NRL level.

"There were other clubs there, there was a couple of options there and they had a bit more money there. Everything led towards me staying here," Lui said.

"The way we’re set up here at the moment, me and my family, I’d choose what we have now over what they were offering.

"I feel blessed, to go from having the last couple of season I had to the season I am having now in terms of just being able to stay on the field, it’s nothing but a blessing from the man upstairs."

As Lui gritted his teeth and struggled through rehabilitation in a bid to get back onto the park, his Raiders teammate Josh Papalii was there every step of the way.

Injuries and form had already limited Lui's exposure to the top flight since he made his debut for the Brisbane Broncos in 2010, and a major knee injury was a cruel blow.

"We’re pretty close off the field and we’ve been through a lot off-field with Nami as well, with family stuff. His footy is doing a lot of the talking at the moment and I’m happy for him," Papalii said.

"He was doing it pretty tough to be honest, when he first did his knee. I invested a lot of time in just texting him and going around [to see him], and I obviously got to see him emotional at times."

Now the Samoan international has a chance to cement a starting spot for 2019 and beyond with the Raiders bracing for the departures of front-row duo Shannon Boyd and Junior Paulo.

The support from Papalii certainly didn't go unnoticed.

"It means a lot, man," Lui said.

"He’s been a big reason why I pushed myself as hard as I did. Being able to see my name on his wrist during every game that he played last year, it really meant a lot. He’s one guy I’ll be sticking close to.

"There was a lot that went into it, and one of the reasons was the group of boys we have here. I love the guys we have here and I love playing for this club here, so everything just led towards me re-signing here.

"I mentioned it early in the year that last year during my rehab, I knew this was my last year [contracted to the Raiders]. I was doing everything I could to try and come back and play as many games as I can. That’s worked out well for me so far."

NRL ROUND 22

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium, 2pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.

Raiders squad: 1. Nick Cotric, 2. Brad Abbey, 3. Blake Austin, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Aidan Sezer, 7. Sam Williams, 8. Sia Soliola, 9. Josh Hodgson (c), 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Joe Tapine, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Josh Papalii. Interchange from: 14. Dunamis Lui, 15. Shannon Boyd, 16. Siliva Havili, 17. Luke Bateman, 18. Liam Knight, 19. Jack Murchie, 20. Makahesi Makatoa, 21. Emre Guler.

Tigers squad: 1. Moses Mbye, 2. David Nofoaluma, 3. Esan Marsters, 4. Kevin Naiqama, 5. Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, 6. Benji Marshall, 7. Luke Brooks, 8. Russell Packer (c), 9. Robbie Farah, 10. Ben Matulino, 11. Michael Chee Kam, 12. Luke Garner, 13. Elijah Taylor. Interchange from: 14. Alex Twal, 15. Sauaso Sue, 16. Robbie Rochow, 17. Matt Eisenhuth, 18. Jacob Liddle, 19. Chris McQueen, 20. Tyson Gamble, 21. Mahe Fonua.