I think it's fair to suggest that the Raiders have shocked even the most passionate of fans this season.
Many, myself included, had them placed outside the competition's Top Eight.
Some famously even predicted they would finish 17th. Boy has that come back to haunt that member of the press.
The Raiders currently sit second on the NRL table with seven wins.
They kicked the season off in style with a big win over the fancied Warriors. Just last weekend, they toppled the red-hot Storm in one of the games of the season at Magic Round.
Ricky's boys have served up bowls and plates full of crow. I am currently being force fed, albeit much to my enjoyment.
The Raiders are scoring some ridiculous tries. They're playing entertaining footy built on a powerful forward pack, monster outside backs and a young, exciting spine.
They've re-earned the Green Machine nickname.
Honestly it's at a time now where some of us must stand up and admit we were wrong. It's still early but the Raiders look like a nailed on Top Eight outfit.
With that said though, I would argue this Saturday's 3pm time slot will allow us a close-up view of what the Raiders really are.
A win over the table-topping Bulldogs would be a marquee win.
A loss would arm those who don't yet see the Raiders as a genuine threat with plenty of ammo.
Straight up, I see the Bulldogs game as a real litmus test for the red hot Raiders.
I can already hear the comments section: "What more can you do than beat the Storm!?"
The win over the Storm was absolutely magnificent. Kaeo Weekes scored one of the tries of the season. The occasion was massive, the lights were bright, and Canberra delivered.
This weekend presents an entirely different challenge, though.
Canberra enter the game at GIO Stadium carrying the expectation and therefore pressure of an entire fanbase, and slowly but surely the entire NRL community.
The Raiders were playing very well but most expected to see them toppled at the hand of the mighty Storm.
Canberra managed to climb one of of the largest mountains the NRL has to offer and bagged the points in a Golden Point thriller.
When they run out on Saturday though it will be in front of a massive crowd expecting them to win.
The Dogs, despite leading the competition, enter as underdogs due to the fact it's being played in Canberra and also the number of names missing.
Josh Curran, Jacob Preston, and Sitili Tupouniua are all missing through suspension, meaning the Raiders pack will be highly fancied on the day.
Corey Horsburgh has been ruled out due to concussion concerns but other than that, the Raiders have a full bill of health.
A quick search for tickets shows only singles available in pockets of the stadium. I expect the "full house" sign to be up by the time this is published.
Huge, expectant home crowd, big favourites, on a win streak. It's a different beast to entering a game being told you're not going to be in the contest.
If the Raiders can beat a side containing the likes of Burton, Kikau, Max King, Jacob Kiraz and the like, they'll have a win to very much hang their hat on.
Don't get me wrong, it's not as though losing the Dogs will see them branded as pretenders or anything, but this pre-Origin clash is massive!
This is as close to a four-point game as you'll ever get.
Not only would a win see the Raiders join the Dogs at the top of the table, but a big win would see the Green Machine sit in first place.
With Hudson Young likely to miss games due to Origin, and Corey Horsburgh potentially returning to the QLD set up, the Raiders will be well set to launch a real assault over the next few months.
A loss would not be the end of the world but we all saw how quickly the media, and fans, turned on the Sharks in losing to the Dogs in similar circumstances.
Home crowd, big favourites, Dogs missing players. The Dogs walked into Cronulla and held them to one try en route to a comfortable victory.
The colour of the jersey will be different but otherwise it's a very similar role for the Raiders to play tomorrow afternoon.
Strange enough it's the Dogs who enter this contest with no pressure.
They too have shown the NRL community up. No one had the sitting atop the table at this stage. Probably any stage to be honest.
They travel down to the capital, sans three major pieces of their forward puzzle, where they'll play with house money.
This game should be an absolute cracker, but I am far more interested in the result for Canberra, which will finally tell us where Canberra is.
For the record, I absolutely see them playing Finals footy. A big win over the Dogs tomorrow could raise that expectation to top four threats.
Huge game! Can't wait!
