The Raiders are preparing to play in front of the biggest Canberra crowd in the club's history when they host a preliminary final in the capital next week.

It is hoped the Raiders bandwagon will go close to breaking the 28,000 ground record at Canberra Stadium as the team aims to secure a grand final ticket against either Manly or South Sydney.

The swell of support has given the players an extra boost, but a change of decision making has been one of the biggest drivers for renewed title hopes.

Canberra player of the year Josh Papalii benched himself last week for a final against the Melbourne Storm, despite being in the best form of his career.

The selfless act is part of a team-first mentality, with coach Ricky Stuart handing some selection decisions to players.

The front-rowers meet each week to discuss who should start the match, then speak to Stuart about their decision.

"The middles come up with that idea themselves and then run it by [Stuart] and see what he thinks," Hodgson said.

"We'll see what they come up with [for the preliminary final], who's going to start and who's going to come off the bench.

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"I think it's good to have players in our team deciding who they think is best to start the games. It gives a bit of ownership and accountability for the boys who want to start to make sure they do a good job."

Stuart has rotated Papalii, Sia Soliola, Dunamis Lui as his main starting front-rowers this year, with Corey Horsburgh, Ryan Sutton, Emre Guler and Hudson Young also being thrown into the engine room.

Papalii has been the club's best player, winning his third Mal Meninga Medal at a function on Tuesday night.

His form has helped put the Raiders on the verge of playing in the grand final for the first time since 1994.

"He's been great all year for us, he was probably Queensland's best player in the Origin series and has just come on leaps and bounds this year for someone who has already played for Australia," said Raiders co-captain Jarrod Croker.

"A couple of years ago Papa would have looked at someone like Sia [Soliola] and now Papa is Sia.

"Corey [Horsburgh] and Hudson [Young] and Emre [Guler] are looking up to Papa.

"It's very satisfying for Papa, he had a bit of a rollercoaster ride early on, he's come on leaps and bounds and is the leader of our side now."

The Raiders are hoping to attract a crowd of 28,000 for their preliminary final showdown, with their opponent to be the winner of the Manly-Souths match on Friday night.

Ticket details will be finalised in the coming days before going on sale to members on Monday and then the general public on Tuesday.

The week off has given Stuart a chance to refresh his players at a draining time of year before ramping up preparations next week when they know who their opponent will be.

"We haven't really spoken about next week's game," said co-captain Jarrod Croker.

"It's hard to prepare, you don't know who you're playing. So it's more about us and keeping the body moving.

"It's just some minor details [to improve] and not giving away a few little penalties. It's just more of the same, but doing it better and a lot sharper."