Then there's Jarrod Croker's 250^th NRL game. Yet another milestone in an extraordinary career.

It comes on top of being the Green Machine's all-time leading point scorer, and all-time leading try scorer. He's the eighth highest point scorer in the game's history and tipped to overtake Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith at the very top.

It all points towards a massive game in Canberra next Sunday afternoon as the hype builds around the third-placed Raiders.

The Roosters jumped out to a big lead against the Green Machine when the teams met earlier in the season, but the Raiders almost ran them down in the dying minutes.

It will have the home team knowing they can mix it with the reigning premiers, who were in much better form then than they are now.

They're yet to solve their hooker problems, with Jake Friend (arm) potentially sidelined until the finals.

The Raiders are on a four-game winning streak, which has been a mix of impressive wins and winning ugly. Their defence has gone up a level in recent weeks as well.

Although James Tedesco, Cooper Cronk, Luke Keary and Latrell Mitchell are a step up from what they've been facing. But they also shouldn't hold any fears.

But it's bigger than just the Roosters clash. They face a mouth-watering run to the finals. Their thrashing of the New Zealand Warriors in Auckland on Friday ensured they'll return to NRL finals action for the first time since 2016. A year that Green Machine fans need no reminding of.

After the Roosters they travel to Melbourne to take on the ladder-leading Storm. A Storm team two-time premiership winner Luke Lewis rates as one of the two form teams of the competition. The Raiders are the other.

An opening 30-minute blitzkrieg from the Storm was enough to give the table toppers the win in round two, but the Raiders came away from that game confident they would improve. Which they have.

Their defence has gone to another level with only Melbourne's more miserly, and their attack has started to click in recent weeks.

But they've also developed that Storm-eque quality of not needing to fire offensively to win. They're able to defend their way to the two points if need be.

Then they host the fifth-placed Manly Sea Eagles. The team most pundits rate as one of five teams that can win the comp.

They're also a team the Raiders have struggled with in recent times, winning just once in their past five clashes.

Plus, there's Des Hasler's mad science, which has concocted 15 wins in 19 coaching encounters against Ricky Stuart.

Manly are also a similar team to the Green Machine in certain ways. They're both exceeding external expectations.

They've also done it with a raft of players who were largely unknown before the season began.

John Bateman. Reuben Garrick. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. Brad Parker. Bailey Simonsson. Manase Fainu.

They round out the run home with a Cronulla Sharks team that knocked off fourth-placed South Sydney on Saturday and then another crack at the Warriors as their home-and-away campaign comes to an end.

They're both very winnable games to help take plenty of confidence into the post-season.

If they can keep their spot in the top four then they'll be perfectly placed to launch a premiership assault. Just as they were in 2016.

While there's some similarities to three years ago, there's also some big differences.

The big one being Canberra's defence. It's ridiculously better than back then.

Going into round 21 in 2016, the Raiders were five games into a 10-game winning streak. They've currently won four in a row.

Three years ago they still had to face fellow top-four teams Melbourne and Cronulla in the run home.

While they won those, they then lost to them in the finals. Which highlights what Jamie Soward told The Canberra Times: it's not season-defining, it simply gives you a benchmark.

You only need to beat a team when it counts. In the finals. Before that you just want signs you can beat them.

A case in point. In 2008, I went to watch Hawthorn play Geelong at the MCG in round 17. Both teams were AFL finals bound.

The Cats won by 11 points, but if it wasn't for a Luke Hodge mistake in the final quarter the Hawks looked the goods.

While Geelong supporters were gloating, convinced the premiership was now theirs, I came away knowing we had them.

Two months later we flogged them in the grand final. They'd learnt they could win. That's what the Raiders need to do in the coming weeks.

They'll also be looking to celebrate more than just Croker's milestone. Joey Leilua will play his 200^th when he returns to the field following neck surgery - which could be against the Roosters.

Jack Wighton's set to play his 150^th when they take on the Storm. Aidan Sezer's 150^th is also set to pop up on the run home.

There's much and many to play for. Bring it on.

NRL ROUND 21

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