The Cowboys' NRL stocks surged last year under Dally M coach of the year Todd Payten and the North Queenslanders will be looking to pick up where they left off when they host last year's surprise packets Canberra.
Both sides were part of the finals action in 2022 but came up short of the ultimate prize with the grind of a long season taking its toll on Ricky Stuart's Raiders particularly, who dealt with a number of injuries throughout the year.
The Cowboys have lost Tom Gilbert to the Dolphins and are also without Heilum Luki (knee) and Luciano Leilua (stood down) but they still boast a strong pack which includes rep stars Reuben Cotter and Jeremiah Nanai.