Cleary entered an early guilty plea for his grade three dangerous throw charge on Parramatta's Dylan Brown on Friday night, meaning he won't be able to return for Penrith until the first week of the finals. Luai could also be sidelined just as long as he recovers from an MCL injury.

With the Raiders ninth on the ladder on equal points with the eighth-placed Roosters, a spot in the finals is there for the taking for the Green Machine. A near-flawless run home in the regular season is needed to keep that dream alive and three-straight wins against the Storm, Warriors and Titans has put them on the right path.

Penrith were the most difficult match-up of the remaining games before finals, and their halves crisis works in Canberra's favour. But the Panthers' talent pool is very deep. And the Raiders know it.

"Definitely it's a big opportunity but at the same time they're such a class team," winger Nick Cotric said. "They've got good back-up in [Sean] O'Sullivan for Cleary in the halves."

After a solid showing in Luai's place against the Eels, O'Sullivan is indeed expected to take the reins at his preferred position of halfback when Ivan Cleary names his squad for the clash at Bruce. Jaeman Salmon and rookie Kurt Falls are vying for the five-eighth spot for the rest of the regular season, with the former the front-runner.

Cotric will be hoping to continue his improving form on Saturday after a double against the Titans on the weekend - his first two-try game with the Raiders since the preliminary final in 2020.

"It was a good stepping stone for the next game against Penrith," Cotric said of the Titans win.

"That's going to be a hard game. I'm feeling like every week I'm just doing the little things right and I'm just happy to play and having fun out there.

"Confidence is high. Hopefully we keep that up and train well. Looking forward to next week, because that'll be a big test."

Cotric was enjoying being back in his home town since rejoining the Raiders following a one-season stint at the Bulldogs, and his footy is reflecting it - particularly on that left edge.

"It's good to be back home with the lads and all the coaches I get on with really well," he said.

"A goal was to get my footy back on track and I'm happy to be home. We've been training well, Jack [Wighton] has been going great, and Seb [Kris] and Huddo [Hudson Young] - everyone has been doing their role."

Raiders enforcer Joe Tapine was planning on leading from the front again with another monster showing against the ladder leaders. While the Warriors and Titans were decent victories, Tapine was chomping at the bit to get stuck into a stronger side.

"We need this game," he said.

"We need to play a higher team and get a gauge. If we're going to actually make a serious run we need to raise our performance next week.

"They're top of the comp for a reason and haven't lost too many games, so it's going to be a good match."

Tapine will also relish the opportunity to line up against fellow New Zealand international James Fisher-Harris.

"I love playing with Fish for the Kiwi side and it'll be a good clash next week with the middles because they're a good pack," he said.

Even without Cleary and Luai, Tapine was certain Canberra would face a dangerous Panthers outfit.

"Their junior systems are solid. When they have players leave they slot in easy, so I'm still expecting them to have players that will cover those positions pretty easy," he said.

"We've just got to make sure we play our game, and for longer, because we had a couple of lapses especially at the end of the game, so we've got to fix those up."

Tapine was fired up after copping a dangerous tackle in the Gold Coast game, but will be playing it cool this week for the highly-anticipated Panthers showdown, even if some Penrith players are renowned for a bit of trash talk.

"They have a couple of dudes that like to talk but it's part of the game, it's who they are and that's how it is," he said.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: