Canberra forward Shaun Fensom says the team will use their final bye this week to lick their wounds before attempting to save their season against lowly Newcastle at home.
After stunning many in their rise to fifth spot on the NRL ladder at the conclusion of round nine, the Raiders have since dropped five of their past six matches and are now just one win above last-placed Manly.
Fensom said this week’s rest is the perfect opportunity for the team to re-assess their form and nurse their minor injuries.
“We only just had a bye two weeks ago as well but in saying that, we’ve had two really tough games the last two weeks,” he told AAP.
“We had that one against the Cowboys where we lost by one point and then we travelled to New Zealand and lost in another physical game.
“The boys are feeling the soreness, but it’ll give us a couple of weeks to rest up.”
The 26-year-old identified their upcoming clash against Newcastle, who have now lost 10 of their past 11 games, as a chance to get their season back on track.
However they’ll have to do it at home, where they have won just one of six games at GIO Stadium this year.
In fact, of the past 22 games at their own ground dating back to August 2013, the Raiders have managed just five victories.
“It’s a must-win game for us,” Fensom said.
“Obviously (the home record) does hurt because you want to go out there and perform for your home fans and get as many wins as possible at home.
“This season we haven’t done as good as we would’ve liked at home, but we’ll be out there next week doing our best to win the game.”
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