Not surprising Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is saying that when the England international is throwing cutout passes straight out of his own playbook.

Williams has been the talk of the NRL this week after a sensational first-half display in the Green Machine's 22-6 win over the Melbourne Storm - setting up two tries, one with aforementioned cutout pass, and putting a big shot on in defence.

This week he comes up against one of the premier halves in the competition, Knights captain Mitchell Pearce.

Pearce's combination with fullback Kalyn Ponga is something Fox League expert commentator Mick Ennis sees as a big threat on Sunday.

Stuart liked what he saw of Williams before the 25-year-old arrived in Canberra at the start of the year. Where he was greeted by toxic bushfire smoke clogging the air.

MORE RAIDERS NEWS

That air has cleared and it's revealed the gem the Raiders have, with his defence, running game and short kicking game all things that excited Stuart.

While everyone knows about the top-class forwards that have made a name for themselves in the NRL - Sam Burgess, Elliott Whitehead, James Graham and Josh Hodgson - there haven't been too many playmakers that have done the same.

Ellery Hanley, Dave Bolton and Tommy Bishop are all from the last century, with Gareth Widdop probably the only modern-day example.

But Stuart felt Williams would help change the perception of the talent that's in the Super League.

"He's an all-round football player. He's a very, very strong defender, he's a good runner of the football," the Raiders coach said.

"With the outside noise there was a lot of doubt about George coming into the season and it certainly wasn't within.

"He's handling the transition from Super League to the NRL wonderfully.

"As all our Pommies have shown coming from the Super League to the NRL there might not be that major difference that people talk about."

While Williams has only played three NRL games, Pearce will play his 280^th on Sunday - including the Sydney Rooster's 2013 premiership.

Pearce also has 19 State of Origins for NSW under his belt and he played a role in the Blues winning last year's series.

Stuart coached Pearce at Origin level and was mindful of what he brought to Newcastle.

"He rallies a team around him. He's full of energy, Mitch, and he's a guy who likes to load the team on their back and be their leader," he said.

"And he's very good at that when he's on the front foot and playing at you. He's a very dominant half."

Ennis, who has been working with Williams as part of his coaching role with the Raiders - albeit via Zoom - was mindful of what Pearce had produced over many years.

Especially with Ponga returning to the Knights No.1 jersey after a one-game suspension.

"Mitchell's been a quality halfback for a long time now - premiership winner, obviously part of that Origin series win last year - so he's a quality player," Ennis said.

"He plays with great tempo and speed, and his combination with Kalyn is very good so there's no doubt that those two are certainly a threat for the weekend."

But Ennis felt Williams would also be threat, labelling the Englishman a natural footballer.

He felt Williams had slotted in perfectly with the Raiders' right edge of Curtis Scott and Nick Cotric, and his combination with second-rower Joe Tapine would continue to improve.

"He's got a great instinct of where to be and what the right play is at the right time. He understands the game well," Ennis said.

NRL ROUND FOUR

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights at Campbelltown Stadium, 4.05pm.

Raiders team: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Bailey Simonsson, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Curtis Scott, 5. Nick Cotric, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. George Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Dunamis Lui, 11. Joe Tapine, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Corey Horsburgh. Interchange from: 14. Siliva Havili, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Sia Soliola, 17. Jordan Rapana, 18. Tom Starling, 19. Matt Frawley, 20. Kai O'Donnell, 21. Michael Oldfield.

Knights team: 1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Edrick Lee, 3. Enari Tuala, 4. Bradman Best, 5. Hymel Hunt, 6. Kurt Mann, 7. Mitchell Pearce, 8. David Klemmer, 9. Andrew McCullough, 10. Daniel Saifiti, 11. Aidan Guerra, 12. Sione Mata'utia, 13. Herman Ese'ese. Interchange from: 14. Tex Hoy, 15. Jacob Saifiti, 16. Tim Glasby, 17. Brodie James, 18. Gehamat Shibasaki, 19. Chris Randall, 20. Mason Lino, 21. Pasami Saulo.