Why Nadruku returned to welcome Raiders' new Fijian flyer with 'no fear'

So the call went out to Noa Nadruku, the Raiders Hall of Fame member with dazzling footwork and bruising defence, to return to the inner sanctum this week.

Naitokatoka was brought to tears when Canberra's premiership-winning great Nadruku presented her with her debut jersey, which she will wear in the Raiders' NRLW season opener against the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium on Sunday.

She becomes Canberra's first Fijian women's international after joining the Raiders following stints at Cronulla and Parramatta, leaving her comfort zone in Sydney to emerge as a game-breaking weapon for the Green Machine.

Off the field, Raiders captain Simaima Taufa says you can rely on the Fijian international to bring the energy. She's the one signing and dancing around the change rooms while coach Darrin Borthwick pieces together a game plan.

And on the park?

"As an athlete, she is incredible. A typical Fijian with footwork, no fear of defence, she backs herself. I'm really looking forward to playing alongside her now, and not against her," Taufa said, having played with Naitokatoka at Mounties.

"It's hard to try and catch her on the field with the footwork she does have. I'm looking forward to seeing what she is able to. We've been able to build that confidence in her, for her to back herself 100 per cent on the field.

"When she got signed here at the club, I was super stoked. What we've been really great at is focusing on players outside of the game, focusing on them and their family.

"It's the first time for her to move away from her family. To have her here, getting out of her comfort zone, living on her own in a shared house, she's buzzing. She brings the energy, the dancing, the singing, that real banter within the group. She's a great asset to have in the group."

The 23-year-old will come off the bench with Zahara Temara and Ash Quinlan to start in the halves, and looms as a genuine threat to a tiring Tigers forward pack midway through the contest.

"She is an absolute weapon," Raiders prop Sophie Holyman said.

"She's unreal, she brings so much energy to the team. She is someone who can go into a lot of different positions, so a real utility. That's a positive for us as a team moving forward, having a player who can jump into a few different roles."

Newcastle enter as the team to beat following back-to-back premierships, with the Gold Coast Titans looming as one of the major threats to their crown.

The Raiders enter the NRLW season with the bulk of their inaugural squad retained in a major boost to their finals aspirations.

Holyman says the continuity will be crucial for a Raiders outfit looking to build on last season, in which they finished two points outside the top four with a 5-4 win-loss record.

"Coming into pre-season, we all looked around and thought 'how good is it to be back with each other'," Holyman said.

"Moving into pre-season, we were running shape in week two which speaks for itself. We've got that connection from last year.

"We all get along so well off the field, it always translates onto the field. We get onto the field, we know how someone runs, how someone passes the ball, the timings of everyone. We're really looking forward to Sunday."