'The players took over': Josh Papali'i hopes review sparks Canberra Raiders' NRL resurgence

But then there are times the players have to put their hand up and own their mistakes - no matter how much they want to sink into a lime green chair and hide in the club's in-house theatre.

Because the bounce of the ball and the odd referee blunder aren't the only reasons the Raiders gave up 53 points against rampant reigning premiers Penrith at home last week.

You have to go back nine years to find the last time an away side reached a half-century in Canberra.

Which is why Papali'i and the Raiders leadership group took charge of a video review session in a bid to reverse their ailing fortunes in Brisbane this weekend.

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"The test just gets harder with the Broncos this weekend," Papali'i said before a trip away to face the unbeaten ladder-leaders.

Whether you call it soul-searching or home truths, Papali'i is confident a brutal video review can help the Raiders - running second-last with one win from five games - turn their season around this week.

"The players took over. It wasn't the coaches' place to comment on how we performed, we were out there playing," Papali'i said.

"Us leaders, group 82, we took over and just had the players run our own video session. Everyone was speaking pretty honest, and we got to the bottom of little situations where we could have been better.

"The buy-in has always been good, whether we won on the weekend or lost. The boys are always 100 per cent focused and always ready to work.

"It doesn't help when we lose two games in a row, and one by 40 points. The boys are always willing to work hard and this Saturday is no different.

"They're on the top of the table for a reason and they're playing good footy. We're playing good footy as well, just not for the whole game.

"The focus is to play for the full 80 and I have massive belief we'll do that this Saturday."

A win would be "massive" for Canberra's confidence. A loss makes the next video review compelling viewing.

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