Lawrie the natural choice as stand-in skipper

With Ben Hunt unavailable due to Origin commitments, Jack de Belin captained the side on a one-off basis against the Dolphins, a controversial call given given his off-field past.

Read more: 'They both know there time's now' Carr backs young halves to seize their moment

De Belin and Lawrie are both part of the club's leadership group that includes Hunt, Jack Bird Jaydn Su'A and Zac Lomax, with Carr saying the hard-nosed bookend has emerged as the natural leader.

"Blocka (Lawrie) had a broken hand in that Redcliffe game when Bomber captained for us," Carr said.

"Blocka captained us in the St Helens trial earlier in the year, so he was the next guy in line there. He's got a lot of care for the club, he's obviously grown up around the area (Wollongong) and this is his club, the one he debuted for, he's signed here for the future.

"He's matured a lot and he's developed a lot in his leadership qualities. I just think his genuine care and his passion and how much he cares about this team and this club, he projects that onto the group.

"The boys know that and it's authentic, it's not artificial. You can see how he plays, he wears his heart on his sleeve, he throws his body into every contest every week. He's a good leader out there and he's really maturing and growing into a good leader off the field too."

Carr confirmed de Belin will retain leadership duties when Lawrie is inevitably subbed off the park.

"When Blocka's not on the field, de Belin will be the on-field captain," Carr said.

"They'll manage that role together so we're pretty fortunate to have two good leaders there."

Read more: Turner to make club debut as Carr rings in changes for Dragons

Carr will be relying on his senior players more than ever given the notable absences from the team sheet, with Hunt in Origin camp and Tyrell Sloan (calf) and Jack Bird (knee) also missing.

It will see Paul Turner debut for the club at fullback, with Dan Russell to debut from the interchange bench. It will come against a Raiders pack stacked with rep stars, including NSW Origin castoff Hudson Young who'll have a point to prove.

"Just do your job, you don't have to do any more or any less," Carr said when asked what direction he'll give the new faces.

"We've got a heap of confidence and a heap of faith in whoever comes in to do their job for the team. [We want them to] just bring a heap of energy and enthusiasm to the group and just that excitement and genuine want to go out there and compete hard.

"[Canberra] have got a good team, a lot of strong players across the park. They're going to come and compete hard, Sticky's (Ricky Stuart) teams always do.

"They're not going to be easy to play, that's for sure. It's going to be an 80 minute game. It's going to go down to the wire and we've got to be prepared to play right until the last minute."

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