The Canberra Raiders forward hasn't been there, and hasn't heard much other than people saying "it's a nice place" - so nice they named it twice.

It will be the site of Canberra's bid to snap a run of three straight losses in regional areas when they host the Penrith Panthers on Saturday.

There is a good chance Whitehead will like Wagga a whole lot more than Bathurst - the town that hosted one of the Green Machine's more forgettable nights in recent years - if they walk away victorious.

It's hard to forget the sight of the Panthers scoring twice in two minutes to break Canberra's hearts. It was a loss the Raiders took weeks to recover from.

But Whitehead says the time is right to make amends with a group not haunted by the memories of yesteryear.

"It's a different year, we've got different players here, so we've definitely got the belief we can go to Wagga and beat them," Whitehead said.

"We'll just focus on this week and not think about the last couple of years. I've never been, but people say it's a nice place so I'm excited to get up there and visit somewhere new. Hopefully it gets a good atmosphere.

"It's nice to get the local people around the community involved in watching an NRL game, so it will be good to get up there so hopefully we can put a good performance in for them to watch."

The Raiders' Wagga clash is the first in a two-year deal to play games in the city, with scope for the partnership to be extended.

Canberra halfback Sam Williams knows how much rugby league means to country areas - growing up in Cooma, football was all he knew as a kid.

Now he wants to inspire the next generation of kids to make a go of it.

"They're a really good rugby league town, there's a lot of good people out there who are really keen to see it happen," Williams said.

"There is a lot of players in our side who are from the bush and they really see the benefits for it. Long-term it's something the game really needs.

"We've had a lot of players from Wagga and the Riverina come through the Raiders system.

"Hopefully there is a few young blokes out there who can see a pathway for themselves as well."

NRL ROUND EIGHT

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers at McDonalds Park, Wagga Wagga, 3pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (C), 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Bailey Simonsson, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Sam Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson (C), 10. Dunamis Lui, 11. John Bateman, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Ryan Sutton. Interchange: 14. Siliva Havili, 15. Hudson Young, 16. Sia Soliola, 17. Corey Horsburgh. Bench: 18. Aidan Sezer, 19. Michael Oldfield, 20. Emre Guler, 21. Jack Murchie