Redemption is the key motivation for the Warriors in Saturday's NRL clash with Canberra, as they attempt to blank out last weekend's Melbourne Storm ambush from their minds.

Ivan Cleary's side drew the short straw by having to play the scandal-hit Storm, angry, focused and primed as if they were playing a grand final.

The Warriors were fed to the lions at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, going down to a 40-6 loss.

If they slump to a third-straight defeat when they host the Raiders on Saturday a feeling they were hard done by being the first team to tackle the Storm following their salary cap rorting punishments could plague them for the rest of the season.

But a win at Mt Smart Stadium against a Canberra team not renowned for its travelling prowess could see the Warriors back in the top eight hunt.

The backbone of the Warriors team is on the sidelines, in Manu Vatuvei, Simon Mannering, Steve Price and Brett Seymour.

Cleary says despite relying on youngsters with so many experienced players out, banishing the memories of that hiding by the Storm is paramount for the Warriors.

"It doesn't matter how young you are, everyone looks for a bit of redemption," said Cleary.

"Looking back on Sunday night, it would have been nice to have a few more guys who'd played in big matches because it probably doesn't get much bigger than that.

"It (injuries) definitely impacts. You can't dance around the situation that we do have, I don't know how many, but there's quite a few ... not only our strike players but our experienced players."

After being written off by most, the Warriors made an impressive start to the season, but they must beat Canberra at home to prove they are capable of breaking out of their inconsistent habits.

A big reward awaits if they beat the 2-5 Raiders, as they have the bye to look forward to the following week.

If they can take the guaranteed four points into the bye, the Warriors could return against North Queensland in Auckland in round 10, back in the top eight and with big names returning.

"It's a big game for us ... in the context of the season," declared experienced leader Brent Tate.

"Obviously with a bye coming up, especially after our last two performances, it's shaping up as a pretty big game for us.

"With the injuries that we've got coming into the bye it will be just nice to head into that with a win and then after the bye hopefully start getting some of those guys back that we know can play some really good footy for us, our more experienced boys."

The Raiders have shown they can pile on points quickly, a talent which is the Warriors strength as well.

Tate has called on his players to find the mix between razzle dazzle and respect for the football.

"We just need to concentrate on our ball control this week ... we've just been making crucial errors at crucial times," he said.

"We've got a team that can put points on teams really quick."

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