But on Sunday at Apex Oval they hinted at what they might be capable of as their attack clicked into gear in a 41-22 win over the Parkes Spacemen.

The Raiders possess the kind of attacking weapons on each side of the field many sides would envy, with Jai Merritt, Alex Ronayne, Corey Cox and Carl Ralph combining to great effect on the left while Parkes struggled to deal with Josh Merritt and Josh Nixon on the right.

The left-edge shone brightest on Sunday, with Western Rams representative Cox scoring a double and also putting winger Ralph over for two first-half tries.

The versatile Cox, who started the match at prop but was shifted to the centres early after a potentially serious knee injury for EJ Fernando, said it was exciting to see things starting to come together.

"It's very scary what we could be," he said.

"We just need to gel and click. We've all played together but that was years ago so once we all learn how each other play again I think we'll be a very strong side."

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Cox is back at Macquarie this season after a stint at Wellington and the chance to play with the likes of captain-coach Alex Ronayne, Josh Merritt and other Raiders juniors who have returned to the club in recent seasons was a motivating factor.

"It's good having all the boys there. It's like playing back when we were young and it's fun," he said.

"It's one of the reasons I came back and played with all these boys. It makes you feel young again."

Both sides created attacking opportunities early in Sunday's match but it wasn't until the ninth minute when Macquarie fullback Blake Merritt smoothly swooped on a kick and raced 75m that the first points were scored.

While Parkes hit back through Raiden Choyce but tries for Cox and then Ralph, both featuring the playmaking of Jai Merritt heavily, in the space of three minutes appeared to give the Raiders all the momentum.

But both sides had defensive lapses in the first half and when the hosts dropped off the Spacemen took advantage, with halves Jack Creith and Chad Porter crossing within two minutes of each other to get it back to 16-all.

The action for the first 40 wasn't finished there though as a lovely Jai Merritt cut-out ball put Cox into space and his pinpoint grubber was pounced on by Ralph to set-up a 22-16 half-time lead.

That late try, combined with a four-pointer for a hard-running Filisone Pauta just three minutes after the restart, put the Raiders in control and while Parkes threatened at times they never really got fully back into the contest.

The Spacemen showcased the new attacking style in the match first-year captain-coach Creith has introduced, with all kick-offs taken short and plenty of offloads and flick passes.

While it didn't always work out, Creith said it wasn't to blame for the loss.

"That's how we train. Some are more comfortable doing it than others but at the right time of the year that will be coming off," he said, before looking at the match.

"Coxy was a handful on our edge and their other centre Josh (Nixon) was good too. They were really hard to handle and they've got some good players there.

"We fell asleep in the second half but we'll work it out."

The Raiders' defence improved in the second half and they managed the game for a period when Ronayne was in the sin bin after being marched for dissent by referee Simon Hartas.

A neat chip and regather from Parkes winger-turned-second-rower Brandon Paige got the Spacemen back to within 12 at one point, but a Blake Merritt field goal shortly after eased any nerves that were around Apex Oval.

"We realised we were being lazy in the middle and we changed that and we pushed up in the middle and they had to go around us," Cox said of the second-half changes, before touching on his own positional changes.

"I started at prop then was in the back-row and finished in the centres. It's good to be able to play all three positions and it's a good thing for 'Aka' (Ronayne). It was good being back out in the centres."

Back in the centres, Cox displayed him impressive running game and ability to beat a man while the perfect grubber for Ralph's second showcased his skills.

"I train hard and work to be bigger so I always have confidence in myself one-on-one that I'll get to the line," he said.

The Raiders head to Forbes next weekend to face a Magpies side that has won two-from-two after a round one bye while Parkes will be in Dubbo again to face CYMS.