Is the Green Machine the real deal?
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Top of the ladder for the first time since 2005 and a bumper opening home crowd has excitement building behind a new-look, youthful Canberra Raiders team.
It's the first time the Raiders finished a round on top of the ladder since round six, 2005 - a gap of 987 weeks or 6909 days.
Written off by many, a win over the New Zealand Warriors in Christchurch on Friday night would send a clear message for the competition to take notice.
Obviously, they're only two games in, with a long season ahead, but beating a highly rated - albeit winless - Warriors side in New Zealand would frank their early-season form.
Even a narrow loss, like last year's heartbreaking golden-point, 21-20 defeat, would give a good indication of where this Raiders side was at.
The Warriors were a top-four side last year and the Green Machine pushed them in the regular season on their way to making the play-offs.
Raiders prop Joe Tapine agreed the Warriors game was an opportunity to silence some of their doubters.
The Raiders have given themselves every chance of knocking off the Warriors, heading across the Ditch at the start of the week to help them settle in.
It's a formula that's served them well in the past, having gone over early last year for the golden-point thriller, while also doing it in 2019 when they beat them 46-12.
"Yeah definitely. You're going to have doubters in life and it's going to happen either way, but the way we've handled it has been great," Tapine said.
"Two out of two, but we haven't done anything - it's round three this week, so we've still got a lot of footy to play for the year and a lot more doubters to prove wrong.
"We'll keep in our little shell, keep working hard and doing what we do."
Canberra was widely written off before the NRL season started, with large parts of the Sydney media tipping them for the wooden spoon.
Expectations were also tempered by the Raiders turning to youth, with the likes of rookie five-eighth Ethan Strange coming into the side.
But an away win over Newcastle, followed by a convincing victory over the Wests Tigers, has them off to an undefeated start in 2024.
On top of that, Strange has settled into the halves well - giving a glimpse of what was to come with a lovely solo try, his first in the NRL, beating four Tigers on his way to the line.
Raiders halfback and vice-captain Jamal Fogarty's grown under the extra weight of being the dominant playmaker in Jack Wighton's absence.
As has Canberra's forward pack, which has started the year in dominant form - something that was going to be crucial for any Green Machine success.
They've added some lime green shoots to a pack that already had world-class footballers in Josh Papal'i, Tapine and Elliott Whitehead, along with emerging State of Origin stars Hudson Young and Corey Horsburgh.
Both Zac Hosking and England international Morgan Smithies have hit the ground running in the first two games for the Raiders.
Such is the pack depth, Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has the luxury of bringing Queensland prop Horsburgh back from suspension via the NSW Cup, while Hosking will drop to the bench after an excellent start in the capital.
It's a pack that's good enough to dominate their Warriors counterparts to lay a match-winning foundation.
Stuart has kept the game plan simple for the opening rounds and it's helped a young backline show its promise.
While the Raiders will be without centre Sebastian Kris (concussion), his combination with winger Xavier Savage has Raiders fans salivating over what's to come.
Not to mention New Zealand international Matt Timoko on the other edge, with elder statesman Jordan Rapana the glue that ties the backline together.
While the Raiders come in buoyed by back-to-back wins, the Warriors carry the heartache of a last-gasp loss to the Melbourne Storm last week, with Xavier Coates' super-try sinking them with just 25 seconds left.
NRL ROUND THREE
Friday: Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors at Christchurch, 6pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Jordan Rapana, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Albert Hopoate, 5. Xavier Savage, 6. Ethan Strange, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papali'i, 9. Danny Levi, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Morgan Smithies. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Zac Hosking, 17. Pasami Saulo. Reserves: 18. James Schiller, 19. Kaeo Weekes. 20. Ata Mariota, 21. Trey Mooney, 22. Zac Woolford.
Warriors squad: 1. Taine Tuaupiki, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Rocco Berry, 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 5. Marcelo Montoya, 6. Luke Metcalf, 7. Shaun Johnson, 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Mitchell Barnett, 11. Jackson Ford, 12. Kurt Capewell, 13. Tohu Harris. Interchange: 14. Freddy Lussick, 15. Tom Ale, 16. Bunty Afoa, 17. Dylan Walker. Reserves: 18. Adam Pompey, 20. Jazz Tevaga, 21. Te Maire Martin, 22. Jacob Laban, 23. Chanel Harris-Tavita.