John Bateman marked his return with a try as the depleted Canberra Raiders ended a three-match losing streak with a 12-10 NRL win at Canterbury Bulldogs.

Bateman declared himself ready to play ahead of schedule just four weeks after suffering a broken cheekbone and the England forward made up for lost time at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.

The Raiders were missing Josh Papalii, Jack Wighton and Nick Cotric after they were selected for State of Origin duty, as well as Josh Hodgson (broken thumb), but they stopped the rot with a battling victory. 

Sebastian Kris set the ball rolling with his first NRL try and Bateman showed great footwork to set himself up for a four-pointer after an incisive break from Sivila Havili.

The Bulldogs hit back in the second half with scores from Jack Cogger and Marcelo Montoya, but Jarrod Croker's penalty won it 10 minutes from time. 

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad produced a magnificent last-ditch tackle on a charging Montoya with time running out as the Raiders claimed a win that moves them up to fourth, with the Bulldogs remaining bottom of the ladder.