Canberra Raiders' NRL finals hype machine faltering ahead of Newcastle Knights clash

So why is the buzz being drowned out by the sounds of Silverchair and The Screaming Jets? You'll sooner find a line of people chasing Henny Penny chicken and chips than a coloured snag.

Because the Canberra Raiders aren't flying into the finals on the back of a winning streak that has an entire fan base daring to dream of a drought-breaking premiership. No, that's happening in Newcastle, where the Knights are chasing a 10^th straight win in front of a full house in their first home final since Joey was calling the shots.

"No one is giving us much of a chance up there," Raiders back-rower Hudson Young said. "They're talking about winning comps and stuff like that, and we are as well. We've got that belief within our walls here and I think we have the team here to go all the way."

Now they just need to convince everyone else.

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Jarrod Croker looked like the odd man out when a player from each team stood by the Provan-Summons Trophy at the NRL finals series launch this week.

Not because the veteran Raiders centre may have already played his last game in the NRL after being overlooked by coach Ricky Stuart for a must-win elimination final in Newcastle on Sunday.

Because there is a sense the Raiders are just making up the numbers this week - which seems a bizarre thought for a side that was flirting with the top four less than a month ago.

Canberra fans were dreaming of a top four finish, a second bite at the cherry and a guaranteed home final.

Instead the Raiders found themselves in danger of missing the finals completely. Only Penrith's round 27 win over the North Queensland Cowboys could secure Canberra's place in the eight.

They limp into the finals without Josh Papali'i, done for the season following surgery on his biceps. If filling the 119-kilogram hole in the middle wasn't enough, State of Origin forward Corey Horsburgh was whacked with a four-game ban that will end his season unless Canberra can reach the grand final.

Now Seb Kris will join him on the sideline after accepting a five-game suspension for dumping Cronulla's Sione Katoa on his head in a tackle gone wrong.

Newcastle welcome back Kalyn Ponga - even if it is a little premature as the star fullback manages the effects of a shoulder injury. Sunday's game is sold-out - as if you'd expect anything less after the house full sign went up at the Knights' final two regular season home games.

They say you can't truly appreciate what winning feels like until you've lost a few.

So it's little wonder the Knights have captivated a city that stuck by them during a run of three consecutive wooden spoons and a pair of first-round finals exits that were as close as they got to the good old days.

Fair to say the Knights haven't had the wood on many teams in recent years - but the Raiders are one.

Wind back to 2016. The Knights would win just one game all season, but they still managed a draw against the Raiders. Only a piece of Jordan Rapana brilliance would save Canberra from the same fate during golden point in the return bout.

Newcastle are 7-4 against the Raiders since - including a comprehensive win in Canberra six weeks ago. The challenge of stopping Ponga looks hard enough before you even begin to factor in Bradman Best, Dom Young, Greg Marzhew and the Saifiti twins.

The Raiders went on a remarkable run in 2016 to reach a preliminary final for the first time in almost 20 years. Three years later they rode a wave of momentum to a grand final.

But this time? A late-season fade has fans desperately searching for a glimmer of hope.

Maybe it's this: Canberra have their backs to the wall, and that's just how Stuart likes it.

"No one expected us to make the eight," Raiders centre Matt Timoko said, even if plenty started the season by tipping Canberra to back up last year's semi-final appearance.

"A Sunday arvo game up in Newcastle is always pretty hectic but we're looking forward to the challenge. I don't think a lot of people expect us to go up and win that game, but we can just use that as motivation."

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