While all the talk has been around Canberra Raiders recruit John Bateman, fellow Bradford bull Elliott Whitehead has quietly turned into an NRL enforcer.

And he's left a trail of destruction in his wake. Just ask Daly Cherry-Evans, Viliame Kikau and Isaah Yeo.

All three have been on the wrong end of crunching Whitehead tackles. All three weren't able to finish the game.

It's an ominous warning for the Roosters ahead of their top-four clash against the Raiders at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

Their left edge contains some of the biggest names in the NRL in Latrell Mitchell, Roosters captain Boyd Cordner and future NSW half Luke Keary.

But they'll be up against a Raiders right that will contain Whitehead, who will shift across from his usual left edge to cover for Bateman (eye socket).

Canberra rookie Hudson Young will make his run-on debut in the second row on the left.

Former Australian second-rower Luke Lewis said Whitehead's aggression was part of what's driven the Green Machine's rise up the NRL ladder.

Lewis said Whitehead's been outstanding for the third-placed Raiders, along with the rest of the Canberra forward pack including Josh Papalii and Bateman.

He said Whitehead was consistently in Canberra's "best three or four players" every week and always put his hand up when the team needed him.

"His aggression in that forward pack helps the other guys stand up," Lewis said.

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"Those three guys being in those tackles and coming off second best it's purely because he's got that in him.

"That's what I believe has put Canberra up there. He's been one of the standouts.

"You've got Bateman, you've got Papalii. He doesn't get talked about a lot, but he's doing a lot of work there as well."

But it's not just the defensive side of Whitehead's game that's been on song - although he's made the second most tackles for the Raiders at an efficiency of 88 per cent.

He's also played an important role in the Green Machine's attack.

It was his offload that led to Jack Wighton's try in the win over Penrith.

Plus, he's had two charge downs and two intercepts so far this season.

"When you've got your defence on your attack seems to come. His attack's been outstanding for a couple of years," Lewis said.

"He's one of those blokes that always seems to get a good play-the-ball, puts his hand up when other blokes are tired, has those tough carries every now and then, and comes up with those plays like offloads to create opportunities.

"He's always putting himself in the frame to do something extra for the side."

It's not surprising Lewis is a fan of the way the Raiders are playing.

"Gritty" would easily apply to the Cronulla team he helped to the premiership in 2016.

But Lewis also sees it in a Raiders team that's gone from one of the worst defences in the NRL to the best.

He admitted Bateman's loss was a big one, but it would allow him to freshen up after his first eight NRL games.

Lewis felt both teams could face each other come finals time, with the two teams set to meet in round 21 at Canberra Stadium.

"I don't think this is going to be the last time we see them play each other," Lewis said.

"I'm a big believer Canberra are going to go a long way this year and this will be a good test for them to see where they're at right now.

"Then if they come off on the right side of the scoreboard their confidence is going to be sky high.

"I'm looking forward to the games that will be coming up in the semi-finals as well."

NRL ROUND NINE

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium, 2pm.

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

Roosters squad: 1. James Tedesco, 2. Daniel Tupou, 3. Latrell Mitchell, 4. Joseph Manu, 5. Matt Ikuvalu, 6. Luke Keary, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9. Victor Radley, 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho, 11. Boyd Cordner (c), 12. Angus Crichton, 13. Isaac Liu. Interchange: 14. Nat Butcher, 15. Zane Tetevano, 16. Sitili Tupouniua, 17. Mitchell Aubusson. Reserves: 18. Lindsay Collins, 19. Josh Curran, 20. Lachlan Lam, 21. Sam Verrills.