Yesterday, I lined up with 18,000 other people at Canberra Stadium to get in to see a fantastic Easter Sunday game of rugby league between the Raiders and the Tigers.
The first half football was almost as perfect as the crisp but sunny Autumn weather that only the Capital can put on. Then things went array (if you’re a Raiders fan).
There are plenty of good articles out there that sum up the game itself. Suffice to say, over the final hour of the game, I watched a Raiders team bristling with talent throw away a seemingly unassailable lead.
The flipside, of course, is that this Tigers outfit is bloody good and can turn a game on it’s head in seconds.
So, surrounded by visiting Tigers fans, I slowly slipped into my regular position of head shaking critic.
“Can’t these blokes catch?”
“They’ve got no heart”
“A disgrace to the jersey”
And so when the final siren put us out of our misery, we trudged off back to the car.
It was in the carpark that MY season got turned around. I had my three kids and two tag alongs and the six of us were lamenting the loss.
My five year old said “the Raiders are terrible” and I agreed.
But then, out of nowhere, this old bloke, maybe 70, appeared and stopped us in our tracks. He had a Raiders scarf that was of the vintage that would have seen it taken to a few grand finals.
He said to me and my son, “they’ll be okay. It’s a long season and they’re young. They’ll get there”.
And off he walked.
It was a great moment. And one that I’ve now taken on board. No more armchair whining for me. I think I’d rather my kids see me supporting our team with the positive outlook I had when I was a teenager.
Back then, the Raiders NEVER won, but we still went every week and knew one day they would!
I wouldn’t mind if they learnt how to catch, though.
M1tch
Roar Guru
Canberra's squad has so many local juniors its great for the region, if Raiders can keep most of them for next 3-5 years they will be a premiership contender
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
The funny thing about the game against the Tigers, was that the Raiders showed both sides to there game. The one where they can beat anybody on there day, and the one where they just fall in a hole. I am sure the coaching staff will be pouring over the tape to try and work out what changed on the field to make such a turnaround possible. One of my Raiders supporting mates has a theory that it's when Campo tries to get more than his fair share of the ball, the team then becomes very one dimensional. Still doesn't explain all the missed tackles!
Corey
Guest
mate, if we have more supporters like you our great game would be sold out weekly which is what we want. I'm a Broncos supporter, so I know your pain at the moment. Everyone whinges how bad they are, but if everyone got behind them, mate, we would be one hell of a team, like a 14th player on the field with the crowd turning up week in, week out.
alan nicolea
Guest
Berraboy I admire your support for the club. If they can keep the core base of their players, i have no doubt the Raiders will become a force to be reckoned with in the near future. Remember that tough times don't last but tough people do.