Ricky Stuart has played down expectations, but the Canberra Raiders have their sights set on not only playing finals - but making the top four.
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It's a rebuilding season for a Green Machine that's going to be littered with young guns across the park.
The departures of Jarrod Croker (retired) and Jack Wighton (South Sydney) has resulted in a changing of the guards, with rookies potentially set to take up the key spine positions of five-eighth and fullback.
They're such key roles that having rookies fill them could make consistency tough.
But Raiders captain Elliott Whitehead dismissed that as an excuse.
"We want to be top four, we want to win a premiership," he said.
"Every club stands here after pre-season wanting to win that premiership, but we're just concentrating on getting off to a good start, building a bit of confidence and cohesion between ourselves and hopefully we can do that."
Can they make the eight?
It's going to be a big ask for a team that's going to have a rookie five-eighth and potentially a rookie fullback as well.
Especially given they had the fifth-worst attack and sixth-worst defence in 2023.
But the Raiders do have an intangible - somehow they turned those negative numbers into an eighth-placed finish to make the finals.
It took Newcastle extra-time to knock them out of the first week of the play-offs.
Grit. Heart. Whatever you want to call it.
They won nine games by six points or less as they held their nerve in the close ones.
It's going to take a lot of that steel for the Green Machine to make the finals in 2024.
Mainly because with a young team comes ups and downs in form.
Finals would seem a bridge too far, with a likely finish just outside the top eight.
If they are going to make it, it will be off the back of two key cogs - the rookies need to shine and the forward pack has to dominate.
Young talent time
Kaeo Weekes. Ethan Strange. Chevy Stewart. Albert Hopoate. Xavier Savage. Ata Mariota. Hohepa Puru. Trey Mooney. Morgan Smithies.
If some or all of those are household names by the end of the season it will go a long way to the Raiders playing finals - especially those young guns in the key spine positions of fullback and five-eighth.
If Weekes or Strange can explode onto the NRL scene in the No.6 jersey - or Hopoate or Stewart can dominate in the No.1 - then you could have a firing backline, led by halfback Jamal Fogarty, that's able to hit the scoreboard hard.
Especially with the pace of the likes of Savage there to split defences.
Those cogs clicking around already established backs like Jordan Rapana, Matt Timoko, Sebastian Kris and Nick Cotric could result in a potent backline.
Leaders are the pack
The forwards are clearly the Raiders' biggest strength.
Not surprising when you've got a pack boasting Joe Tapine and Josh Papali'i - two of the best props in the world.
Both Hudson Young and Corey Horsburgh have emerged as the next generation of State of Origin stars to play out of the capital.
They've added some of Penrith's winning culture through the pre-season acquisition of Zac Hosking.
Plus they've added another hard-nosed Pom in Morgan Smithies to ensure Canberra's English heritage continues as Whitehead potentially plays his final NRL season.
If young bulls like Mariota, Puru and Mooney can add some extra exuberance on top the Green Machine should have the foundation for their young backs to work off.
Who's ya Papa
If all goes to plan, Raiders great Papali'i will bring up his 300th NRL game when his good mate Wighton returns to town.
It'll be round 21 against the Rabbitohs - and potentially the first time Wighton will play against the Green Machine - as "Papa" plays the 18th game he needs to get there.
What better boost could you ask for at the back end of the season, in the heart of the Canberra winter?
Especially after witnessing the hype Croker's 300th generated last year.
Best 17: 1. Jordan Rapana, 2. Xavier Savage, 3. Sebastian Kris, 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Nick Cotric, 6. Kaeo Weekes, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papali'i, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Corey Horsburgh. Interchange: Tom Starling, Zac Hosking, Morgan Smithies, Ata Mariota.
Prediction: 9th.