Ricky Stuart is leaving no stone unturned as he plots an end to Canberra's 11-year NRL win drought in Townsville in their season opener on Saturday.
The Raiders will fly north on Tuesday, giving themselves four days to acclimatise to the hot and humid conditions awaiting them when they face North Queensland at 1300 Smiles Stadium.
They go into the season with an unusual air of expectation surrounding the team after only narrowly missing out on a grand final berth last season.
Stuart's Raiders have trained in upwards of 40 degrees during the pre-season, with extra attention paid to adding moisture to Canberra's dry air as their round one clash drew closer.
"The last week we've had the sprinklers on before training to get a little bit more water in the air and water on the ground to prepare for it," Raiders forward Luke Bateman said.
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"You're never going to be able to replicate it 100 per cent but we're pretty confident in how we've prepared."
Despite their poor record in Townsville, adjusting to the tropical conditions isn't a major concern for Bateman.
"It's probably more the humidity than anything but a couple of days up there, we should get acclimatised," he said.
"We'll get a couple of training sessions in, we'll get used to the conditions and settle in."
Having played only once in Townsville since making his debut in 2012, star halfback Aidan Sezer is looking forward to spending extra time practising in far north Queensland.
"I just remember it was very slippery up there. It's very humid and there's a lot of sweat getting around," Sezer said.
While Sezer's opposite number Johnathan Thurston is entering his 16th season, there is no suggestion his influence is beginning to wane.
"In my opinion he's one of the greatest to ever play the game so it's always a tough ask coming up against him but I've got to to a job for my team and that's what I'm focused on," Sezer said.
Sezer spent time with Thurston when both played for the Indigenous All Stars, with the four-time Dally M Medallist crowned man of the match as they beat the World All Stars.
"You observe and learn. He's been very successful for a long time now," Sezer said.
"If you take a few things out of his book and implement that into your game that's only going to help."
