Ricky Stuart is banking on a heavy dose of youthful exuberance to arrest Canberra's alarming NRL losing streak.
After a flying start to the season, the Raiders have suffered three-straight defeats to fall out of the top four and back into the pack chasing runaway competition leaders South Sydney.
And as if losing Jack Wighton, Nic Cotric and Josh Papalii to State of Origin isn't bad enough, influential hooker Josh Hodgson has joined the club's crippling injury list.
The Raiders' dire state has forced Stuart to call up greenhorns like Andre Niko, Ata Hingano, Emre Guler, Royce Hunt, Sebastian Kris and Tom Starling for Saturday night's trip to ANZ Stadium to tackle smarting arch rivals Canterbury.
Stuart wants his youngsters to enjoy the ride - but he also needs them to deliver.
"They're smart guys. They know the club's situation," the Canberra coach said on Friday.
"A couple of guys haven't been on an away trip with us for a first-grade fixture, which is exciting for them.
"Whenever you're playing your first handful of games, I don't think you're really thinking about your performance. You're thinking about the buzz of it, the enjoyment and thinking this is what I played for since I was six years old and all the hard work's been paying off.
"But from my point of view, I need them to play the way they got here. They're here because they're good footy players.
"They're young guys with ability and I need them to enjoy the experience but also play well."
The veteran mentor is also calling on his more-seasoned campaigners like Jarrod Croker, Aidan Sezer and Elliott Whitehead to lead the way in the absence of the side's Origin reps.
Despite the Bulldogs languishing at the bottom of the ladder, Stuart is convinced his long-time former teammate Dean Pay will have the home team fired up.
"With a couple of senior players out, it's important that the other senior boys step up now," Stuart said.
"It's going to be a real dogged type of game, excuse the pun, against the Bulldogs. I know Dean will have them up and motivated.
"It will be a big challenge. Canterbury is always a difficult game for us. Dean knows us well."
STATS THAT MATTER:
- Canberra are gunning for three-consecutive wins over Canterbury for the first time since 2002-03
- The Bulldogs are scoring the fewest points per game this season (12.9), while the Raiders are conceding the third fewest (15.5 a game)
- The Dogs also have the second-worst red zone attack this season, requiring 16.4 tackles in their opponent's 20 to score a try but the Raiders boast the best red-zone defence in the league.
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