The Canberra Raiders are adamant they've learnt hard lessons in the perils of a short NRL turnaround, but skipper Jarrod Croker says good luck telling any of their representative stars they shouldn't back up on Thursday night.
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Croker and powerhouse back-rower Josh Papalii declared themselves fit and ready to play the St George Illawarra Dragons as the Green Machine starts a crucial block of five games that could set up their finals' hopes.
It comes on the back of a four-day turnaround for five Raiders who played in the City-Country fixture and less than a week after Papalii helped Australia beat New Zealand.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has given his representative contingent the option of withdrawing from the Dragons clash if they feel flat.
But Croker said the painful memory of losing to the Parramatta Eels after Canberra's last short turnaround was driving the players to throw everything they've got at the Dragons.
"I think Ricky was genuine about [that offer], if you're not right to play then you're probably better off having someone there who's fresh and ready to go," Croker said.
"But good luck telling any of the boys that, they all want to play and especially the four Country boys, we want to turnaround what we did on Sunday.
"A short turnaround is a good thing. I think everyone's going to pull through and be right to go. It takes courage to say [you're not right to play], no one wants to do it.
"Everyone says they're right, but if you're not [you've got to say it]."
The Raiders had their final training session in Canberra on Wednesday, opting to finalise preparations there before travelling to Sydney.
The Raiders have a chance to cement their place in the top eight when they take on the unpredictable Dragons at Jubilee Oval. It's also a chance to end a run of inconsistent form that has seen them win just two of the past five games.
The next five weeks looms as a crucial period for Canberra if they want to burst back into the finals this year.
They play the Dragons, the New Zealand Warriors, Canterbury Bulldogs, Manly Sea Eagles and Brisbane Broncos in a block of matches that will give an indication of their premiership credentials.
But at the back of their mind is the way they lost to the Eels 36-6 almost one month ago after failing to recover on a five-day turnaround.
The Raiders have had just one training session with their full squad this week after Stuart eased his representative players – Croker, Papalii, Aidan Sezer, Jack Wighton, Paul Vaughan, Shannon Boyd and Kurt Baptiste – back into action.
"We had a short turnaround against Parra and we got pumped that weekend. But I definitely know the boys have no excuses and we've got to get the win [against the Dragons]," Papalii said.
"As a club we learnt from that and we're heading in that direction. It's good for our club to have rep players and to be honest, I think everyone is going to be right.
"We got off to a good start [this year] and then have lost one and won one. It's very important that we start clicking some wins together and we've got to do it quick because before we know it, it will be finals time."
The Raiders used to boast an intimidating record against the Dragons, losing just once against the joint-venture club between 2002 and 2013.
But the Dragons have won the past three matches between the clubs and Papalii says it's time to get back on top.
"We've got to start with this Thursday and hopefully it carries on for another few years," Papalii said.
NRL ROUND 10
Thursday: St George Illawarra Dragons v Canberra Raiders at Jubilee Oval, 7.50pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 1 and Win.
