Canberra centre Jarrod Croker says he hopes Raiders fans will get stuck into his former teammate Josh Dugan when he returns to GIO Stadium for the first time this Saturday.

Dugan was sacked by the Raiders last year after a string of off-field incidents, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of many frustrated NRL fans - not to mention a few teammates.

But the NSW State of Origin star has since re-ignited his career at St George Illawarra, and this Saturday's clash in Canberra will be his first visit back to his old stomping ground.

When asked if he was hoping the crowd wouldn't get stuck into his former teammate and friend, Croker replied with a smile: "I'd like them to get into him a bit but he's the sort of player that will probably thrive off the back of that.

"He'll be down here for a big game and will have all his boys geed up as well.

Croker added that the pre-game talk would be about how good a player Dugan is, not his history at the club.

"We know how good a player he is, he's the Origin centre. So that's what's going to be talked about," he said. - AAP