An injury riddled Raiders scraped through to the finals in 2022 and finished just one win short of the big dance, but there's plenty of key areas Ricky Stuart's side has to improve on if they're to go one better in 2023.
NRL.com identifies three areas the Raiders can improve as they look to play finals football again this season.
Passing percentage
The Raiders passed the ball least of any other team during the regular rounds of the 2022 season with a 94.3% strike rate.
For a team that thrives on second phase play, averaging 11.6 offloads per game last year (the second best in the league), more passing in 2023 should help disrupt the opposition's defensive line.
With Jamal Fogarty also set to start the season, their shifts left and right should also improve as it did from the early rounds to the finals last year.
The likes of Cronulla, Penrith and Parramatta finished in the top three for most passing, indicating spreading the ball to both sides of the field is just as crucial as defence.
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Errors on tackle one
Canberra made 29 errors on first tackle last year, finishing equal worst with Manly in 2022.
Handing over easy possession is a coach killer and opposition reliever with the Raiders certainly make life hard for themselves during a rollercoaster season.
Rookie fullback Xavier Savage will be hoping to show improvement under the high ball when he returns in 2023, after making the most handling errors in his team last season.
Outside backs Jordan Rapana and Jack Wighton also handed over the ball 46 times between them in 2022.
Goodball sets
The Raiders ranked second last in goodball sets in 2022 with 287, only six above the Broncos who ranked last in this area (281).
What determines a goodball set focuses on completions, territory and possession in attacking zones.
After a slow start to their 2022 campaign, Ricky Stuart will be hoping his side can improve their ability to mount pressure on the scoreboard to help other areas of the game.
Premiers Penrith had 354 goodball sets during the regular season.
The Raiders have the strike power and will want to take advantage of that in 2023.
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