The Canberra Raiders winger plays and speaks with his heart on his sleeve, and won't shy away from the top-four talk engulfing his team.

He plans to use the external buzz as fuel to shoot for the double chance in September, beginning with Saturday's home clash against New Zealand Warriors.

A win would put the Raiders into the top four and Rapana, a late bloomer in the NRL due to a religious sabbatical and a stint in rugby union, is loving the ride.

"I find it exciting, I get pumped when I hear that," Rapana said.

"It just shows we've gone a long way and can only get better. Obviously a win over the Warriors would put us in the top four but we have to focus on getting that win first.

"It's awesome it's a reachable goal. We have to make sure we do everything to get in the top four."

Canberra hasn't finished the regular season in the top four since 2003.

Back-rower Josh Papalii is expected to return from knee and hip injuries against the Warriors which kept him out of Queensland's Origin III side.

While disappointed to miss out there's a perception Canberra's only representative player will benefit from the break given he plays 80 minutes for the Raiders on top of his Origin and Test commitments.

Papalii was confident he would be fit to play the Warriors after missing last week's victory over North Queensland.

"I've pulled up alright and will hopefully be back after the bye, that's the plan so far," Papalii said.

"I just think it's a good opportunity for us as a team to try and cement ourselves in the top five. Top four is pretty hard to do in this competition and our goal at the start of the year was the top eight."

Asked if the top-four talk was a distraction, Papalii said: "No one trains to get the spoon, we all aim for that same goal and that's to win the premiership.

"It's finally good to see all the players buy into what we're trying to do here. There's something special building here but we have to take it game by game."

Rapana's right-edge partnership with centre Joey Leilua has deservedly received plenty of plaudits, but the Raiders have scored more tries down their left.

While experts have called for Leilua to be blooded into Origin, fellow centre Jarrod Croker has gone quietly about his business.

Rapana and Croker are equal fourth on this year's NRL try-scorer's list with 11, and the Raiders skipper has bagged two doubles in the past three games.

"It's a great sign, it shows we have attack all over the park and as long as we're winning I couldn't care less how much ball myself and Joey get," Rapana said.

"The left edge we have with Crokes and Eddy [Lee] and Aidan [Sezer], they're getting a lot of cohesion and playing really well.

"I'd put him [Croker] down as one of the most consistent players in the NRL, if not most consistent. He was very unlucky to miss out on the rep teams but he's not one to kick stones about it, he backs it up every week and proves people wrong.

"He's a great captain, he leads by example and is a man of few words. The best type of leaders are the ones who act rather than speak."

NRL — ROUND 20

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors, Canberra Stadium, 3pm. Tickets. TV: Fox Sports 1.