Canberra suffered a blow on the eve of their NRL match with the Bulldogs at Telstra Stadium losing impressive forward recruit Tom Learoyd-Lahrs to a knee injury.
Learoyd-Lahrs missed the second half of last week's 24-22 win over South Sydney and was in doubt all week with considerable swelling around his knee.
The 20-year-old couldn't complete his final training run on Saturday and has been replaced by second rower Alan Rothery.
Learoyd-Lahrs, a hulking 193cm and 110kg, is a massive loss after a superb season since joining from Brisbane. But the Raiders, chasing three successive wins, still fancy themselves for an upset against the Origin-depleted Bulldogs side.
The Bulldogs can charge into the top two on the ladder with a strong win on Monday but must do so without rampaging forwards Willie Mason, Mark O'Meley, Andrew Ryan and Nate Myles who are away for Origin.
Even without those big names Raiders coach Matthew Elliott still believes the Dogs have an incredibly strong forward pack that would seriously challenge his unheralded youngsters.
Elliott singled out Kiwi international Roy Asotasi as the key player for the Dogs, particularly as he would be pumped for a big game having been told during the week he could negotiate with other clubs as the salary cap is likely to squeeze him out of Belmore.
"(Roy) Asotasi is probably one of the best props in the world," said Elliott.
"They have plenty of quality right across the team, they will be a massive challenge for us."
The Bulldogs beat the Raiders 30-12 in Canberra in round five this year but Elliott believes his side cut their own throats in that clash.
The homeside coughed up a mountain of possession by committing double the handling errors of the Bulldogs and with greasy conditions predicted at Telstra Stadium on Monday Elliott knows ball control is the key to success.
"We did not respect possession when we played them last time. The game beat us not the opposition," said Elliott.
"Against a side full of potency like the Bulldogs you cannot surrender that amount of possession.
"We know we are a team that needs to respect possession and look after the ball.
"We will certainly focus on looking after the ball a lot better this time around."
Aiding the Raiders' cause is the return of robust 21-year-old prop Michael Weyman, who is playing his first NRL match in over 12 months following a series of serious injuries.
Weyman has not played since round five last year after suffering torn ankle and wrist ligaments, a dislocated jaw, a cracked sternum and painful stress fractures.
"I feel like I'm ready to go, but I'm sure the butterflies will be in the stomach before I run out," said Weyman.
Raiders backrower Ben Jones meanwhile has been cleared to play despite suffering a nasty head clash last week.