Canberra players admit they are under the pump from their NRL rivals' illegal ruck tactics but insist it is up to them to find a way to counter them.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart accused opposition teams of "cheating" at the ruck by splitting the marker after his side's 24-16 win over the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
He was frustrated by Canberra being penalised for the same thing, which he said was a deliberate ploy used by opposition sides to stifle the Raiders' attack this season.
One of the most potent weapons their rivals have to counter is star winger and leading NRL tryscorer Jordan Rapana, who says he has definitely felt the impacts of the tactic.
"You almost feel like you've got nowhere to run," Rapana said.
"Teams have done a good job at restricting me and Joey (Leilua) and also the other boys as well.
"I think we just need to change up our way of running and we've been doing that."
Prop Shannon Boyd agreed teams are using the ruck to stop their dynamic attack.
"They are a lot scrappier around the ruck and lay on you a lot more," he said.
"But as a team you've got to do that to stop us, like Stick (Stuart) said. If you don't it's going to be hard to stop our play.
"It's just something we've got to work with and move on from."
Losing the ability to get quick play the balls can hamper the Raiders' momentum, Boyd said.
Stuart's comments add intrigue to Sunday's match against Manly at Lottoland where there could be an increased focus on the ruck and how referees police it.
The Raiders will be desperate to make amends for a 20-18 loss to the Sea Eagles last month in a fiery clash in Canberra.
"It'd be good to get one back on them," Rapana said.
