Club records have become a regular occurrence for Jarrod Croker in 2019, but even the laid-back Canberra leader admits this weekend is special.
Croker becomes just the second player in Raiders' history to join the 250-game club, still 68 behind club leader Jason Croker.
Fittingly, the latest milestone comes against the team Croker faced in his NRL debut at GIO Stadium in 2009. The Roosters scored a 28-4 win that day.
The sense of occasion isn't lost on the 28-year-old who understands the chance the club has to consolidate their top-four spot by beating the premiers.
"It's something I'm very proud of," Croker said of his 250th game.
"If you told me I'd play 250 games for this club all that time ago, I would have laughed at you.
"It seems like only yesterday I played my first game, against the Roosters actually, so it's gone by very quick but it's been very enjoyable.
"I've never watched it [the debut game] to be honest, I'm pretty sure I marked against Sia [Soliola] to be honest, but we got a bit of a touch-up."
Co-captain Josh Hodgson paid tribute to the consistency that has been a hallmark of Croker's career.
"There aren’t many people at our club who have done that and I'm sure he'll go on to break the 300-game record and hopefully push on for the 400-game mark and be the first Raider to do that," Hodgson said.
Masterclass: Jarrod Croker
"It's a massive achievement by Toots, he's broken quite a few of the records down here and it's nice to see him get the accolades.
"He's been recognised as a good clubman all through his years but now I think he's getting to that point in his career now where he's been so consistent and he's on the fringe of Origin talk.
"Hopefully he gets to enjoy the day on the weekend and we can get the win for him."
The Raiders have bolstered an already strong side with Nick Cotric being named on the wing in the team to face the Roosters after serving a three-game suspension.
Along with the ever-reliable play of Croker, Josh Hodgson's work around the ruck has played a major roles in the Raiders' ascendancy.
The international hooker's impact in attack has eased pressure on the halves and created space for edge players. The result has been some spectacular tries, in particular, Joe Tapine's effort against the Warriors last weekend.
I'm pretty sure I marked against Sia [Soliola] to be honest, but we got a bit of a touch up
Jarrod Croker on his NRL debut
However, the 29-year-old deflected praise for his form saying all 17 players deserve the credit.
"It's been alright, we've been winning so that's the main thing," Hodgson said of his personal form.
"We've been consistent in our levels in attack and defence, they have been consistent these last four or five weeks and we've been under the pump for long periods and against team who can score points against you."
