It doesn't get much bigger than this. A one-two punch against the one-two teams. The cream of the NRL crop.
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The next two weeks are massive tests for Ricky Stuart's Green Machine.
Reigning premiers and ladder-leaders Sydney Roosters in the magical clash of the Magic Round followed by South Sydney, equal top and thriving under the super coach Wayne Bennett.
Mouth watering to say the least. And it will tell Stuart and his Canberra Raiders exactly where they sit in the grand scheme of 2019. Exactly where to improve.
It would be easy to say this is the Raiders' chance to prove themselves.
But they don't need to. They already have.
After two years in the NRL wilderness, battling heartbreaking losses and coughing up unloseable leads, all they had to prove was they were back.
Show that they'd taken steps to fix the problems that have dogged them.
Solidify the defence, work on the game management at the back end of games and beat the teams they should.
After back-to-back 10th placed finishes that would be enough to put them in the eight.
Defence? Tick. The Raiders had the most miserly defence in the NRL going into the Magic Round and the highly anticipated Roosters clash.
They've conceded the least points of any team in the NRL. Including the Melbourne Scrooge.
The 102 points they've conceded across the opening eight rounds is the least any Raiders team has let in since 1995 when they leaked 75.
Let's just think on that. The best start defensively in 24 years.
Game management? Tick. Leading against a Newcastle side many pundits had touted as top-eight certainties, they were challenged late.
The ghosts of Raiders past would've folded.
Ditto against a Brisbane Broncos side containing "the best young forward pack in the NRL", who not only challenged the Green Machine in the second half, but got in front.
Only for Canberra to settle and put them to the sword.
Then they saw off the Penrith curse. Anyone who witnessed what happened on that freezing cold night in Bathurst will understand how big a step that was.
Beat the teams they should? Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.
Parramatta. North Queensland. Gold Coast. Newcastle. Penrith. Teams like that.
It has them sitting third. Just one win behind the leaders. The Roosters and the Rabbits. The teams they face the next two weeks.
Bizarrely, still the knocks have come. They haven't beaten anyone in the top eight they say.
They've played three teams from the top half of the ladder. Won one. Lost two.
They've beaten the Eels. A team they're banging on about in Sydney as being back as finals contenders.
They were outgunned by the Storm. Overrun in the first 20 minutes. A Storm side that's been the benchmark for the past 15 years.
And they lost to Manly at Brookvale. A team they probably should be beating, but at a venue where the Sea Eagles have won 70 per cent of games. More than two in three. No matter how poorly they're going, they win at Brookvale.
But every other test they've passed.
Of course, the season's still young. There's 16 rounds to go. They need to win eight of those to make the eight. A few more to finish top four and give themselves the best possible chance to make the grand final.
They're off to the perfect start. They've proven themselves. Now they've got to finish the job. Whatever happens in the next two weeks that doesn't change.
NRL ROUND NINE
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium, 2pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Michael Oldfield, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Sam Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson (c), 10. Dunamis Lui, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Ryan Sutton. Interchange: 14. Siliva Havili, 15. Bailey Simonsson, 16. Sia Soliola, 17. Corey Horsburgh. Reserves: 18. Aidan Sezer, 19. Emre Guler, 20. Royce Hunt, 21. Jack Murchie.
Roosters squad: 1. James Tedesco, 2. Daniel Tupou, 3. Latrell Mitchell, 4. Joseph Manu, 5. Matt Ikuvalu, 6. Luke Keary, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9. Victor Radley, 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho, 11. Boyd Cordner (c), 12. Angus Crichton, 13. Isaac Liu. Interchange: 14. Nat Butcher, 15. Zane Tetevano, 16. Sitili Tupouniua, 17. Mitchell Aubusson. Reserves: 18. Lindsay Collins, 19. Josh Curran, 20. Lachlan Lam, 21. Sam Verrills.