Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has warned his players not to "drop off a cliff" in the final three games before their second NRL finals campaign in seven years.
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The Raiders host Manly on Sunday in their third straight top-four clash and victory will almost certainly see the Green Machine finish in the four and secure a finals double chance.
Stuart has his men flying at the pointy end of the season and Canberra are arguably the form team of the competition having won eight of their past 10 games.
But the veteran coach has told his players they cannot rest on their laurels and must keep the foot on the pedal until the Raiders' 25-year premiership drought is over.
"There are no easy games in the NRL, it's a long, grinding season and you've got to be very focused every week to be consistent," Stuart said.
"If you lose focus at any stage of the week, at any stage of the season, you can really drop off a cliff.
"I've been proud of that fact we've been very consistent with our performances all season and we don't like losing but if you're losing games and you're in the match then it's a little bit easier to handle.
"That's been the case this year, we've been very consistent with our performances and (especially) in the past month as we move into the back end of the season."
Canberra beat competition leaders Melbourne last week in one of their best regular season wins in recent club history and which many believe stamped the Raiders arrival as premiership contenders.
But fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad said the come-from-behind victory only confirmed what they already knew.
'We don't think we have to prove anything to anyone but ourselves, we know the standards and the belief we have in our team and in this club," Nicoll-Klokstad said.
"We know that if we just focus on what we do and what we do best, we'll come away with a lot more wins like that this year.
"We've done all right but we're not kidding ourselves heading into finals and (Manly) will give us another good indication of where we're at.
"They're a strong, big pack - a confident pack. They've done really well this year considering where they came from last year.
"They'll come down here with a lot of confidence."
Australian Associated Press
