Tom Starling locked in on Raiders premiership push despite off-field distractions.

The 24-year-old was charged for his involvement in two incidents on the Central Coast over the past two summers, the cases currently progressing through the courts.

Despite the off-field situation, Starling's performances on the field have not been affected and he has played a key role in leading the Raiders to Friday's NRL semi-final against the Eels.

With the grand final now just two wins away, the hooker is determined to ensure his premiership dream is not sidetracked by his situation off the field.

"Footy is my life," Starling said. "Ever since I was a four-year-old kid, this is all I ever wanted to do. I'm not letting things like that get in my way, I'm not letting other people ruin my focus.

"That's an easy job for me to forget about that and focus on footy because this is what I love, this bunch of boys, I love representing this club and I'll deal with that other stuff later."

Starling has formed a dynamic partnership with starting hooker Zac Woolford in recent months.

Playing behind a dominant forward pack led by props Joe Tapine and Josh Papalii, Woolford has set the tone throughout the first 50 minutes of the match.

That has allowed Raiders coach Ricky Stuart to inject the crafty Starling into the contest in the second half to make the most of a tiring opposition.

Starling has thrived in the role and he credited those around him for allowing him to focus on football while the court process plays out in the background.

"I'm just focusing on footy at the moment," he said. "I'll deal with that when it comes around. I've got a good lawyer and a good family that's helped me through that and taken a lot of the load on that stuff.

"My mum's doing a lot of stuff behind the scenes, so she can free me up to go play footy and not worry about that.

"I'm sure everyone has seen the footage of what's happened there, I just put it aside. I'll let my lawyer handle that and if need be, I'll front up to court and let them do their thing. It's just a distant memory for me, it's at the back of my mind."

Fresh off a resounding road victory over the Storm in Melbourne, Starling and the Raiders will travel to Sydney this week with no fear.

The Eels may have trumped their rivals 28-20 in Canberra in round 12, but Stuart's side has grown considerably since that loss.

Starling views the match as a turning point in his team's season and he's confident they will turn the tables on Friday night.

"We've grown so much as a team since that period," Starling said. "We've got a good amount of games together as a spine and as a pack. We're settled on our team now, the dynamic of it.

"We're still growing and we're still building for the future as well. A lot of the spines around the NRL have been together for 2-3 years, especially the teams in the top eight, their spines have been together for a while now.

"With Jamal coming in this year and then he did his knee, it's Xavier's first full year and we've got Zac coming in this year as well. We're still building and looking forward to what's ahead."

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