Replacing departing hooker Josh Hodgson will be a "full-team job", says Canberra utility Corey Harawira-Naera.
With Hodgson ruled out for the season due to a knee reconstruction, filling a gaping hole in the team's spine is top of the Raiders' to-do list heading into an important round-three clash with Gold Coast.
At times the Raiders looked uncompetitive in the 26-6 defeat to North Queensland and given the 32-year-old has signed for Parramatta next season, Harawira-Naera said it would require a big team effort to replace his energy.
"We obviously missed him on the weekend, just his composure and holding the ruck down," Harawira-Naera told reporters on Tuesday.
"Everyone's gonna have to play a role ... it's kind of hard to replace but the only way we can sort of replace it is with our energy and playing for him.
"He brings a lot of energy into the joint, he's the one that cracks the jokes when everything's going a bit tough and puts smiles on the boys' faces ... it's going to be a bit of a motivator for us to play for him."
More than anything, Harawira-Naera said he felt for the 138-game Raider whom many credit with steering the club to the 2019 grand final.
"He's been through the trenches," he said.
"Thinking he's gonna be back in a couple of weeks and now he's out for the season, knowing he's not going to get a chance to wear the green jersey again is pretty tough on all of us.
"We're gonna miss having him around on the field, we know he'll be poking his nose in where he can."
But addressing a lack of intensity up forward is just as crucial for the Raiders, having made 600 less metres than the Cowboys and given up almost 200 more post-contact metres.
"We had really good training last week ... I feel like they just beat us with enthusiasm and energy," Harawira-Naera said.
"Our forward pack, we know on our day we can go with anyone.
"We take that kind of personally ... it doesn't really matter what kind of halves we have if we're not going forward."
