Throw Hudson Young in that mix too. The Raiders rookie looks as though he would be just about the last one to take a backward step on the big stage.

Bailey Simonsson doesn't mind churning out those ugly metres inside his own half. Even Seb Kris wasn't shirking the tough stuff when he was thrown in the middle with the game on the line during his NRL debut.

Nick Cotric continues to defy his age as he makes a seamless shift into the centres. They all seem up to the task.

The fire is always there when it comes to facing two of the best teams in the rugby league landscape in consecutive weeks.

But will the flame wilt when Canberra's young brigade are tasked with shutting down sides sitting at the southern end of the table?

It may sound bizarre, but the coming fortnight may be the Raiders' toughest test as they become acquainted with the weight of expectation.

MORE RAIDERS NEWS

Hang on, the 13th placed North Queensland Cowboys and the 14th placed Canterbury Bulldogs proving a tougher task than the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Sydney Roosters?

Getting up for the big games is easy work. Those are the games everyone wants to play in, those that bring a finals-like intensity. Winning them is a different story, but there is never a shortage of desire.

The two games ahead of the Green Machine are ones everyone expects they should win. The Cowboys are struggling to find consistency as they brace for a trip to the capital. The Bulldogs sit just one win clear of the sides anchored to the bottom of the ladder.

How will Canberra's rising stars handle the task? They have just capped off arguably the two biggest weeks of their young careers, dancing with premiership favourites in front of big crowds.

Their challenge, as even Wayne Bennett put it, is maintaining their high standards when they come down off the high of a massive fortnight and set their sights on the remainder of a long season.

They battled back from a huge deficit that would make many go into their shells to give the Roosters a scare in front of 29,686 during the NRL's Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium.

Then came arguably the game of the season against South Sydney, one the Raiders were in until the final whistle with 16,965 in the stands.

Questions have hovered over how Canberra would respond with four "world class players" in John Bateman, Joe Tapine, Jordan Rapana and Joey Leilua sitting on the sidelines.

Sure, the Raiders have been on the wrong end of the result each time they have met a top four side, but so far the youngsters have stood up. Raiders co-captain Jarrod Croker says "they have been great for us".

"A big crowd [in Canberra] and 30,000 there last week at Suncorp, those guys are getting experience against the best teams in the competition and will only benefit from that," Croker said.

Winning games under the weight of expectation is a new challenge for the youngsters without some of the club's best players to guide them through.

So far, the Raiders have done just that. They have won the games they were losing over the past two seasons, those same encounters that ultimately dashed their hopes of featuring in the finals.

Croker is confident the Raiders can continue to defy a mounting injury toll to hold their place in the top four. Youngsters aside, they still have plenty of firepower in the tank.

"Josh Papalii has been outstanding, Papa was massive. Sia [Soliola] and [Siliva Havili] again. Ryan Sutton was great. Dunamis [Lui] started well. We're comfortable with whoever we've got there," Croker said.

"Papa was great for us, he started enormous. Hopefully he can continue that form, I'm sure we'll lose him after next week for a little bit."

And make no mistake about it, Ricky Stuart's Green Machine outfit certainly warrants a place in the top four.

Canberra's four defeats throughout the opening 10 rounds have come against sides in the top six.

Critics will point to the fact they are yet to beat a top four rival, but the past two weeks - losses to the Roosters and Rabbitohs by a combined margin of 10 points - show they belong.

"We've given ourselves an opportunity to be in the fight. They're two of the best sides in the competition at the moment, and unfortunately for us, we haven't taken those opportunities," Croker said.

"We've given ourselves every chance. Hopefully towards the back end of the year we work more on that and take those little opportunities, because you don't get many against the good sides and you've got to take them when you can.

"We played a really good 80 minutes of football [against the Rabbitohs], it was one of our stronger performances. Our middles were outstanding, we completed well, and they played good footy. It was a real big crowd, big atmosphere, and both sides played a really good game of footy."