Aged just 25, the Canberra Raiders second-rower will play his fifth grand final in just six years when he runs onto ANZ Stadium next Sunday.

The England international played in four Super League grand finals for Wigan, winning in 2016 and '18, and will now add an NRL one to his belt in his debut season for the Green Machine.

It's an amazing streak that says a lot about Bateman. He's a winner.

But the lovable Yorkshireman brushed aside suggestions he was making a habit of playing on the biggest stage.

"I wish it were as easy as that, I wish it was. It's been a tough journey for us, but we're there now and that's what we spoke about," Bateman said.

He revealed his family back home helped drive him towards the grand final.

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"It puts it into perspective, making the grand final. It makes you sit back and think it's all worth it," he said.

"I texted my mum [Bev] before the game and she just said, 'Go out there and make sure it's worth it, leaving us behind'. It's a fantastic feeling to be fair."

He said he would impart some of his big-game knowledge onto his teammates, but he was confident they would all handle the occasion.

All but four of the 21 Raiders named for the Rabbitohs win haven't played in a grand final, with Joey Leilua (calf) one of those four and facing a race against time to be right for the grand final.

"These boys know what it's all about. There's players in here like the likes of Elliott [Whitehead], [Josh Hodgson], we know what it's about as a team," Bateman said.

"We've got coaches that have been there and done it so we'll have a little bit of a say, but when we get into it we all know what to do and we're going into it very confident."

There looks set to be a mad rush for flights from England, with relatives of Ricky Stuart's Barmy Army looking to get Down Under for the drought-breaking game.

While Bateman's a regular on grand final day, it will be the Raiders' first appearance in 25 years.

"I've got my brother coming over. I'll be honest with you I can't wait," he said.

"I probably wouldn't have seen my brother for two months and my grandmother as well, so I genuinely can't wait for them to come out. I'm buzzing about it to be fair mate."

But his daughter Millie looks unlikely to be able to come. School and a birthday taking precedence.

"It's her birthday as well three days after. She didn't want to miss out on her birthday," Bateman said.

"I think she's expecting a lot of presents from people back home. She's got school as well. No doubt she'll be watching next week."

He felt the final 10 minutes, when the Raiders held on despite being reduced to 12 men, would stand them in good stead for the grand final.

"We'll be under the pump no doubt next week. It wasn't our best game for us today. We didn't get the opportunity to even play," he said.

"We were under the pump a fair bit, credit to Souths. Wayne [Bennett] got them up for it and they really came at us.

"We held in there and got the win and that's what it's all about. People don't remember how you win, they just remember who wins."

NRL GRAND FINAL

October 6: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium, 7.30pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.