Five-eighth Todd Carney admits he'll be nervous this Monday night coming up against the NRL player he fears the most.

But he'll just turn to his biggest inspiration if things get tough out on the field.

Carney has declared Brisbane legend Darren Lockyer to still be the best player in the game, and said he felt slightly apprehensive about playing opposite the master No.6.

However, the Roosters star said he felt confident taking on the surging Broncos, crediting the leadership being given by his captain Braith Anasta.

"Braith's definitely inspirational," Carney said.

"I noticed from when I first got to the club and he was coming through rehab with his ankle, just the way he trains and the way he leads the boys around in public and on the field is great.

"Braith's been great all year. There's no question about that and last Sunday he was at his best and he was our best player.

"He's just getting better and better each week."

Carney has been the buy of the season and has excelled at fullback and in the halves but he'll face his biggest test this week against Lockyer.

The 24-year-old says the Broncos deserve to be premiership favourites alongside the Dragons, and he's desperate to prove himself against his childhood idol.

"He's someone you always look forward to playing against. I still class him as the best player in the game at the moment so it's going to be a big test for me," he said.

"He's a player I looked up to growing up and when you play five-eighth he's a player you want to play like. It's a little bit daunting because of the calibre of player he is.

"Brisbane are always that team, when you've got Lockyer in your team you can't be forgotten about.

"Everybody is looking over their shoulder the last few weeks at the wins they're getting."

The Roosters have surprised everyone in the league by powering into the NRL's top four.

Carney said if the team continues to improve, there's no reason they can't go all the way.

"If we get better. At the moment we've just got to keep improving and make sure if we do that we'll be a shot," he said.

"There's 15 other teams out there trying to do the same thing as us, so we've just got to work on what we're trying to do and if we can do that and we're there, I'm sure we'll give it a go.

"We lost a bit of respect on the weekend (against Canterbury) by getting 32 points scored against us so we've got a lot to improve on."

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