Their jerseys once again bore the name of legendary sponsor Canberra Milk – but it was the Raiders’ on-field exploits that evoked the spirit of 1994 on Sunday as they steamrolled Wests Tigers to get their season off to a flying start.
Heavy favourites, the stage was set for Ricky Stuart’s green machine as 16,000 fans came through the gates at GIO Stadium – the largest crowd for a Raiders season opener since 2012. And they were rewarded with a vintage performance, a 30-12 win and two premiership points.
The Raiders were not in the mood to disappoint their fans, but at half-time things were very much in the balance. Jacob Liddle had put the visitors in front and it was not until five minutes before the interval that Jordan Rapana crossed to restore parity at 6-6.
You could only imagine what Stuart would have had to say to his players in the sheds, but whatever his message it was well heeded as the Raiders ran in four second-half tries to put the game well beyond the Tigers.
Ryan James barged over just a minute after the restart, resulting in an outpouring of emotion after nearly 700 days out of the game with two knee reconstructions.
Halfback George Williams had a huge impact on the game with his kicking, putting the ball up perfectly on a number of occasions which resulted in the first and third tries.
Jordan Rapana celebrates after going over for the Raiders Credit:Getty
Having set up Rapana in the first half, another Williams kick, coupled with a flick pass from Bailey Simonsson, sent Hudson Young across for their third, before Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad got in on the action after a relatively quiet game. Rapana pushed across the line once again in the 76th minute to put the cherry on the cake.
Youngster Sebastian Kris again underlined his status as one of the Raiders’ most exciting prospects. In just his fifth appearance, Kris danced over after 10 minutes into the game, believing he had secured the fourth try of his short career, but the celebrations were quickly dashed by a no-try ruling.
