"F--- em". It's the siege mentality that worked for the Canberra Raiders in round one and it's one they should embrace for Newcastle 2.0.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
It's a mentality Raiders hooker Tom Starling felt they should have every week - regardless of the situation.
Pictures emerged of the sign the Green Machine had up in their sheds after they knocked off the Knights in Newcastle to open their season with the aforementioned simple message.
It served them well then, kick-starting their campaign with a 28-12 victory.
And it would serve them well when they run onto Canberra Stadium on Sunday to take on the Knights again.
The Raiders desperately need to end a three-game losing streak and turn around their terrible recent run at home.
They've lost their past two home games by a combined total of 78-32, but need to turn Canberra Stadium into a fortress for their upcoming run of three home games.
Plus the Raiders sit in a pack of teams just outside the eight on the same 18 competition points as Newcastle.
That starts against the Knights, with Starling - who will play his 100th Raiders game - adamant they needed to have that attitude every time they run out.
"That's the attitude of our team, our club. This is what we do. We just show up. It's about us week-in, week-out," he said.
"We worry about ourselves and play Raider football. No week's different. It's not just against Newcastle, it's every week we've got to do that.
"It's important we put on a good performance in front of our home crowd.
"We've had a poor home record. It's a big game in terms of the table and everything."
Starling has a new role as part of a reshaped Raiders spine.
He'll start at hooker, like he did against the Melbourne Storm, with a new halves pairing of Adam Cook and Ethan Strange, and Kaeo Weekes now at fullback.
The reshuffle led to a better Canberra defensive display, but Starling said they needed to improve their ball retention if they were to unlock their attacking potential.
Weekes shapes as a serious weapon at the back through his pace - they just need to get him into the right positions on the field.
"We didn't get many opportunities. We shot ourselves in the foot coming out of yardage," Starling said.
"I think we had eight errors in our own 20 [against the Storm] so we've got to build some pressure and play some footy down their end.
"We know what we can do. We've been training it and we've got to get out of our own end firstly.
"But our defensive attitude, if we have that we'll win nine times out of 10."
Raiders utility Simi Sasagi can cover multiple positions from the bench - second row, centre, five-eighth - but he felt the edge-forward role was the one he would be used in against his old club.
"This year I've really settled in that back-row spot," he said.
"Being on that bench as a utility I can cover multiple positions, but back row is a position I've felt comfortable in playing.
"Wherever the team needs me, but I think back row has been that position I've been trying to push forward to."
NRL ROUND 18
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Kaeo Weekes, 2. Jordan Rapana, 3. Matthew Timoko, 4. Albert Hopoate, 5. Xavier Savage, 6. Ethan Strange, 7. Adam Cook, 8. Josh Papali'i, 9. Tom Starling, 10. Joseph Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (C), 13. Morgan Smithies. Interchange: 14. Danny Levi 15. Ata Mariota 16. Trey Mooney 17. Simi Sasagi. Reserves: 18. Seb Kris, 19. Zac Woolford, 20. Emre Guler, 21. James Schiller, 22. Hohepa Puru.
Knights squad: 1. Kalyn Ponga (C), 2. Enari Tuala, 3. Dane Gagai, 4. Bradman Best, 5. Greg Marzhew, 6. Will Pryce, 7. Jackson Hastings, 8. Daniel Saifiti, 9. Jayden Brailey, 10. Leo Thompson, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Kai Pearce-Paul, 13. Adam Elliott. Interchange: 14. Fletcher Sharpe, 15. Jacob Saifiti, 16. Brodie Jones, 17. Dylan Lucas. Reserves: 18. Mathew Croker, 19. Jack Hetherington, 20. Jack Cogger, 21. Krystian Mapapalangi, 22. Thomas Cant.