How 'mentally weak' Canberra Raiders plan to flip the script in Brisbane next week

Their season's at an early crossroads, having won just one of their opening five games and facing a tough trip north to the high-flying Brisbane Broncos next weekend.

To make matters worse they'll also have to overcome yet another change to their spine at Lang Park next Saturday.

Canberra five-eight Matt Frawley broke his hand in the dying seconds of the woeful 53-12 loss to the Penrith Panthers on Friday night.

Filling in for the suspended Jack Wighton, Frawley will miss four to six weeks and was expected to get scans on Sunday to see whether he needed surgery.

Brad Schneider was the likely option to come in and partner Jamal Fogarty in the halves.

Woolford said the self-examination had already started in the Canberra Stadium sheds, with the team having to answer a few home truths in the next seven days.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart apologised to the fans after the game for an awful second half where they gave up seven tries to one to see a 13-6 half-time deficit blow out to a 41-point loss.

A growing injury toll meant Stuart's options for change were limited - he said fullback Xavier Savage (jaw) was still a few weeks away from being ready.

"It's going to be on us to sort that out and not be so mentally weak," Woolford said.

"We're going to look at ourselves in the mirror.

"It's not a skill thing or a game-plan thing, it's something that's inside us and it's going to be on us as a playing group to sort that out because it wasn't up to NRL standard."

Frawley's yet another blow, on top of the Wighton suspension and injuries to Savage and Danny Levi (jaw).

It means they've not only had to deal with Sebastian Kris filling in at fullback, but losing their starting hooker Levi as well.

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They've also had to deal with changes in their halves, with Fogarty missing the Newcastle loss due to illness.

Woolford backed Schneider to come in and cover Frawley in a return to his native Queensland.

He said Wighton's absence wasn't an excuse for the capitulation to Penrith.

"Schnitz [Schneider] has been playing good footy in NSW Cup so he'll come up and have to do a job and he's more than capable of doing a really good job," Woolford said.

"Obviously it helps when Jack is playing. He's one of the better players in the game - Dally M, Clive Churchill [medals] and all that.

"But it's next-man-up mentality. Every team faces injury challenges and I felt we started the game pretty positively with our structure and the way we were getting around the field.

"So it's definitely not an excuse. We definitely should be better than that."

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