Canberra's first NRLW finals campaign has produced genuine belief, despite a preliminary-final meeting with the competition's dominant Sydney Roosters.
Sydney has won 27 of its past 28 matches since mid-2024, including two unbeaten regular seasons, with Brisbane's 2024 grand-final victory the only loss.
The Roosters are also motivated by the impending retirements of veterans Millie Elliott and Corban Baxter.
Canberra captain Zahara Temara, a former Roosters premiership winner, insists her team will not be intimidated.
"Sometimes the mindset of girls when they're playing these big teams or names, it actually defeats them before they even get on the field," Temara told AAP.
Before their 22-18 round-three loss, Canberra held a frank team discussion about belief and readiness.
"We are very confident in the abilities. the staff are confident in us. We're confident in each other too and I think that's step one of beating any opponent."
The Raiders also inflicted Brisbane's biggest-ever defeat in August and lost to Gold Coast by only six points.
Gold Coast's 10-match winning streak leads into Sunday's other preliminary final against defending premiers Brisbane.
Suspended captain Simaima Taufa can return only for a grand final, while Temara guided last week's elimination-final victory over Wests Tigers.
After four seasons outside the finals since leaving the Roosters, Temara said, "when we cross that white line, we're ready for battle."