BY STAFF WRITERS

Veteran forward Ethan Lowe says the Canberra Raiders pack holds no fear for his South Sydney teammates as they prepare to head down the Hume Highway for a preliminary final clash with the Green Machine.

Much has been made of Canberra’s fiery engine room but Lowe says the Bunnies are ready.

“They (Canberra) are a terrific challenge for us,” Lowe told NRL.com.

“For any team but we just have to muscle up in the middle and we’ve got the players for that.”

Lowe also revealed that a reassuring address from coach Wayne Bennett after the ugly Manly win boosted the team’s confidence.

“We did enough to get that and knowing that Wayne backs us no matter how we get the result is important. He has a lot of trust in us and it’s very reassuring to feel that.”

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Canberra’s GIO Stadium is sold out with almost 30,000 fans expected to pack the ground.

Meanwhile, Wests Tigers veteran Benji Marshall has backed Israel Folau’s return to rugby league via the Tongan Test team.

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Speaking on Fox Sports overnight, Marshall questioned why domestic violence abusers were allowed back into the NRL but not Folau.