It is with great sadness and disappointment that we write to advise you that at the conclusion of the 2011 season, the Raiders Army as it has stood for the past decade will come to an end.

Over the course of the past season, the number of Raiders Army fans congregating in Bay 72, at away grounds and at organised social functions has for the most part declined significantly. The factors for why this has occurred are numerous, the foremost one being many senior members over the past decade have moved onto other priorities in their life and are extremely limited, or can no longer participate in, committing to the group activities.

Don Furner and the staff at Raiders HQ have been informed of this decision and have relayed their disappointment that the Raiders Army won’t be continuing on as a supporters group of the Raiders. They also asked us to pass on their appreciation to everyone who was a part of the group from 2002 to present, and that you’ll continue to support our proud club in the future. At this stage the Raiders are unsure of their plans to start a new official supporters group in 2012. As part of the ticketing agreement with NRL, the club has to allocate specific bays for home and away fans. In the past, Bay 72 was the area the club specified. It is unlikely that 72 will be the official Raiders Supporters Bay in 2012.

I’m sure that many members of the RA, whether active or not, will be disappointed to receive this news. The RA has been a big part of many people’s lives for a long time and I know personally that I had ambitions of seeing new, enthusiastic members joining the RA and taking the group forward. Unfortunately this didn’t eventuate as planned.

Over the coming weeks we intend on saying farewell to the RA and would like as many members, old and new, to join us. The first of these is the last home game of the season this Saturday August 27th v Penrith in what will be the last appearance in Bay 72 for the group. It has now been confirmed this is Alan Tongue’s last home game also which will add to the celebration.

Next on the Agenda is an RA only BBQ at Raiders HQ with the players and staff of the club. You would hopefully have received an invite via email for this event. If not, I have attached it. It is vital that you RSVP if you plan on attending the BBQ.

The following week is the final game of season 2011 v the Bulldogs at Homebush on Sunday 4th of September, and a great chance to see our team and Tonguey for one last time this year. This will also be the last RA gathering at the football and it will surely be one not to miss. A lot of the Canberra based RA are keen to catch up with some familiar faces that we look forward to seeing at the away grounds and will be making the trip for this game. The final event on the RA calendar will surely be one of the best, with the grand finale being one of our famous Super Saturday’s on the 10th of September. At this stage the details aren’t finalised but will be advertised and emailed shortly.

Finally, the wheels are in motion to put together some sort of history of the group during the past 10 years which will hopefully include the reviews, photos and various news articles. If you have anything you think may be suitable as content for this task (particularly news stories), can you please forward them to kw@raidersarmy.com.

Until the final whistle, WE ARE THE….

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The Raiders had a deserved and much needed victory over the Melbourne Storm on Saturday night. After eight straight losses, the team finally played to the potential that we all know they have and ran out 20-12 winners. Blake Ferguson scored a memorable chip and chase try in the final ten to secure the win. The celebration in the coaches box and delight on coach David Furner’s face was there for all to see. It truly was a great win by the Raiders and considering the circumstances, will be remembered for a long time. Special mention should go to Josh Papalii who made a successful debut and looks like another future star for the club.
This weekend the Raiders entertain the Bulldogs at Canberra Stadium on Friday Night. Kick-off is 7:45pm. I encourage all fans to get out to the ground and show your support for the team, and also head along to the Lighty beforehand to enjoy the pre-game build up amongst fellow fans of the Green Machine.

Pre Game Function – The Lighthouse Bar, Emu Bank, Belconnen – Friday from 5:00pm

Once again the Lighthouse has committed to supporting the Army in 2011 and will be THE place for a pre-game beverage on game days. All Raiders fans in attendance will be able to purchase discounted beverages ($4 beer and bubbly), whilst the Lighty will also provide free pizzas for all attendees. Due to the game being on a Friday, the Toyota Cup wont he shown live on the big screens, however there will be plenty of fellow Raiders fans there enjoying a pre-game beverage, reliving the epic win on Saturday and firing up for the clash with the Bulldogs.

Roosters & Sharks Away Two Game Package

In the early weeks of July, we have the Roosters and Sharks away in Sydney. The Roosters game is on Monday July 4th at the SFS, and the Sharks game is on Saturday July 9th at Shark Park. For those who are keen to attend both games, we are offering a special two game package for only $70 per person. This will cover your transport to and from Sydney, as well as some on board catering. Word has it that former Raiders great Bradley Clyde will be joining us on one of the buses, so be quick to secure your seat to see the Raiders take on the Roosters and Sharks.

To secure your seat, please send an email to kw@raidersarmy.com to obtain banking details. Note: If you can only make one of the games the cost is $40.

-KW

Upcoming Raiders Fixtures

Round 11: Raiders v Bulldogs, Friday May 20th, 7:45pm – Canberra Stadium

Round 12: BYE

Round 13: Raiders v Cowboys, Sunday June 5th, 2:00pm – Canberra Stadium

Round 14: Raiders v Broncos, Sunday June 12th, 2:00pm – Suncorp Stadium

Round 15: BYE

Round 16: Raiders v Eels, Saturday June 25th, 7:30pm – Canberra Stadium

Round 17: Raiders v Roosters, Monday July 4th, 7:00pm – Sydney Football Stadium

Round 18: Raiders v Sharks, Saturday July 9th, 5:30pm – Shark Park

Round 19: Raiders v Storm, Sunday July 17th, 2:00pm – Canberra Stadium

Full 2011 Season Draw http://www.raiders.com.au/default.aspx?s=nrl-season-draw

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A great start to the 2011 Premiership Campaign on Sunday, with an emphatic 40-12 victory over the hapless Sharks. Cronulla were very ordinary, but you can only beat the team that’s in front of you and the mighty greens did so with ease. We witnessed 3 fantastic debuts by Brett White, Blake Ferguson and Sam Williams. Ferguson and Williams were particularly impressive.

We have a short turn around this week, with our game against the Broncos locked in for tomorrow night. There is plenty of excitement regarding the Raiders emanating from Canberra and surrounds, plus the Sydney media seems to have jumped on the bandwagon, with no less than 5 camera crews at the teams rehab session on Monday (a new record!). With over 10,000 tickets already sold for the match, and the usual large number of walk ups, the Raiders are expecting a crowd of over 20,000, which will ensure a cracking atmosphere at Bruce. Please don’t forget the game kicks off at 8:30pm, not 7:30pm.

In a joint promotion between The Lighthouse Bar and the Raiders Army, any Raiders fan who attends the Lighty before the Broncos game will receive their first drink free. Just come and see me when you arrive and I will give you a voucher. Add this to the fact the Lighty put on free tucker and $3 beers there really is no reason not to attend the Lighty before all home games.

The following Saturday we face a tough test against the Wests Tigers up at Campbelltown. The Tigers have had the wood over us for a few years now, and I am predicting that Campbelltown will be very close to capacity for the Raiders visit. Seats on the Bus are going very quickly, so if you are thinking about heading up with us please let me know ASAP.

On a side note, the Marketing team at HQ have put together a brilliant Raiders version of the new “This is Our House” video. Check it out here http://www.raiders.com.au/default.aspx?s=raiders-tv

Lastly, the dates and times for our games in Round 6 and 7 have been released. As expected, our game in Townsville will be on the Saturday Night (April 16th). However, the Raiders will again play on ANZAC Day in 2011, with our game against the Knights scheduled for 7pm on Monday the 25th. This is part of an epic five day long weekend which most Canberrans will no doubt take advantage of, so to be honest I don’t think the Monday night is an ideal timeslot for us. Anyways, not much we can do about it now. For those of you planning on heading away over the Easter / ANZAC Long weekend, make sure you are back by Monday arvo otherwise you’ll miss the green annihilate the Knights!

Pre Game Function – The Lighthouse Bar, Emu Bank, Belconnen – Friday from 5:30pm
Once again the Lighthouse has committed to supporting the Army in 2011 and will be THE place for a pre-game beverage on game days. All Raiders fans in attendance will be able to purchase discounted beverages ($3 beer and bubbly), whilst the Lighty will also provide free pizzas for all attendees. The Toyota Cup will also be shown on the big screens (when available), so there’s really no excuse not to join in the fervour and nervous anticipation with your fellow Raiders tragics at the Lighty this Friday. For first timers, please feel free to ask for KW or Loz and we will gladly introduce you around and get you involved in the pre-game build up.

Tigers Away – 2011 Edition – Saturday March 26th
Our Round 3 Match against the Tigers will be held on Saturday March 26th at Campbelltown Stadium. C-Town is probably the easiest Away venue to travel to for Canberra residents, and there should be plenty of Raiders fans heading up the Hume for this one. If you are interested in heading up to the game on the Raiders Army bus, please send me an email to kw@raidersarmy.com to arrange payment PLEASE NOTE: the cost of the Away buses has decreased in 2011, from $55 to $40 per person. THIS BUS WILL SELL OUT, SO GET IN QUICK.

Details of Trip
Date – Saturday March 26th
Cost – $40
Departure Time – 2:00pm
Departure Location – Kingston Railway Station
Return Time – circa 12:30am

Upcoming Raiders Fixtures
Round 2: Raiders v Broncos – Friday March 18th, 8:30pm – Canberra Stadium
Round 3: Raiders v Tigers – Saturday March 26th, 7:30pm – Campbelltown Stadium
Round 4: Raiders v Titans, Saturday April 2nd, 5:30pm – Canberra Stadium
Round 5: Raiders v Panthers, Saturday April 9th, 7:30pm – Centrebet Stadium (Penrith)
Round 6: Raiders v Cowboys, Saturday April 16th, 7:30pm – Dairy Farmers Stadium
Round 7: Raiders v Knights, Monday April 25th, 7:00pm – Canberra Stadium

Full 2011 Season Draw http://www.raiders.com.au/default.aspx?s=nrl-season-draw

KW

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A few RA regulars, myself included, made the trip to Hay on the weekend for the Hay Magpies Annual “Pie in the Sky” weekend. A top time was had by all, and we had the privilege of not only watching a large number of retired rugby league superstars in action, we also got to meet a lot of them too. The likes of Ken Nagas, Matt Geyer, Mal Meninga et al all showed they still have some of the old spark, whilst Raiders coach Dave Furner might have to think about becoming our captain-coach after a stand out performance.

For those of you who have been waiting months to get a Rugby League fix, the wait is now over. There is a genuine smorgasbord of Raiders-related events this weekend which would quench the thirst of the most ardent Raiders fan. It all starts with the Meningans Lunch on Friday, where punters will be able to meet guest speaker David Shillington and ask him for his thoughts on the upcoming season. Saturday is the Raiders Members Day, which promises to be a great day full of Raiders related activities at Canberra Stadium. Saturday Afternoon punters can head along to the Queanbeyan Charity Rodeo at the QBN Showground (this event has nothing to do with the Raiders but it involves people riding bulls and it is in Queanbeyan so will no doubt be a top afternoon for all). Sunday kicks-off with the RA pre-game function at the Lighthouse in Belconnen, where fans will have the chance to watch the Toyota Cup game on the big screens while enjoying the company of fellow fans of the green. A short drive from the Lighty has us at Canberra Stadium, where the Raiders 2011 Season kicks off with the big clash against the Sharks. Cronullas recent record at Bruce is as good as anyone’s (including Melbourne) and they will be confident of taking the 2 points with them back up the Highway. Hopefully our boys will be able to overcome the predicted loss of Matty Orford and start the season in style. After the game, the post-match function will be held at the Dickson Tradies, where as always, fans can mingle with the Raiders players and hear coach David Furner’s thoughts on the game. As I said, a huge weekend of Raiders action, bring it on!

Meningans Lunch – Friday March 11th, 12.15 PM, Dickson Tradies – Guest Speaker: David Shillington

The first luncheon of the year is this Friday at the Tradies, and I am sure our female members will be very happy with the fact that Dave Shillington is the guest speaker. The Lunches provide an opportunity for Raiders fans to not only meet some of their heroes, but to also meet other fans of the green, share stories and basically have a good time. All money raised from hosting the Lunches goes towards assisting Junior Raiders with their academic studies. The cost is $25 per head. Please RSVP by emailing meningans@netspeed.com.au ASAP if you plan on attending.

Raiders Members Day - Saturday March 12th, Canberra Stadium, 9:00am – 12:30pm

The annual Raiders Members Day is being held this Saturday at Canberra Stadium. The event will run from 9am-12.30pm on the day and will give Raiders members an exclusive look at training ahead of the Raiders first home match of the season against Cronulla. There will be opportunities to collect signatures from the players on the day as well as photographs and interviews with players and Coach David Furner. The Raiders Army will be providing a free sausage sizzle for all attendees. Raiders fans who are not members can also sign up on the day, however it’s advised to do so beforehand to ensure prompt entry on the day. Head to www.raiders.com.au/membership if you haven’t yet renewed / joined. Members are asked to please RSVP if possible to assist for catering purposes to reception@raiders.com.au

Pre Game Function - The Lighthouse Bar, Emu Bank, Belconnen – Sunday from 11:30am

Once again the Lighthouse has committed to supporting the Army in 2011 and will be THE place for a pre-game beverage on game days. All Raiders fans in attendance will be able to purchase discounted beverages ($3 beer and bubbly), whilst the Lighty will also provide free pizzas for all attendees. The Toyota Cup will also be shown on the big screens, so there’s really no excuse not to join in the fervour and nervous anticipation with your fellow Raiders tragics at the Lighty this Sunday. For first timers, please feel free to ask for KW or Loz and we will gladly introduce you around and get you involved in the pre-game build up.

Tigers Away – 2011 Edition – Saturday March 26th

Our Round 3 Match against the Tigers will be held on Saturday March 26th at Campbelltown Stadium. C-Town is probably the easiest Away venue to travel to for Canberra residents, and there should be plenty of Raiders fans heading up the Hume for this one. If you are interested in heading up to the game on the Raiders Army bus, please send me an email and arrange payment ASAP. Full details of the trip and how to pay can be found below. PLEASE NOTE: the cost of the Away buses has decreased in 2011, from $55 to $40 per person.

Details of Trip

Date – Saturday March 26th

Cost – $40

Departure Time – 2:00pm

Departure Location – Kingston Railway Station

Return Time – circa 12:30am

To secure your seat, please transfer $40 into our account (with your name as a reference) . If you do not have account details please send an email to kw@raidersarmy.com and ask for the details

Upcoming Raiders Fixtures

Round 1: Raiders v Sharks – Sunday March 13th, 2:00pm – Canberra Stadium

Round 2: Raiders v Broncos – Friday March 18th, 8:30pm – Canberra Stadium

Round 3: Raiders v Tigers – Saturday March 26th, 7:30pm – Campbelltown Stadium

Round 4: Raiders v Titans, Saturday April 2nd, 5:30pm – Canberra Stadium

Round 5: Raiders v Panthers, Saturday April 9th, 7:30pm – Centrebet Stadium (Penrith)

Full 2011 Season Draw http://www.raiders.com.au/default.aspx?s=nrl-season-draw

Lastly, for anyone who hasn’t yet joined or renewed their Raiders Membership I implore you to do ASAP. The Raiders have set an ambitious target of 8000 Members for the 2011 season, and based on the latest update, have now surpassed 7500. I know for a fact that there are plenty of people who receive the RA updates who aren’t members, but there is really no excuse! If you are a Raiders Fan, you should be a Member!!! Head to www.raiders.com.au/membership and sort it out!!!

KW

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First of all the Raiders Army would like to apologise for the lack of updates on this website. There have been some technical difficulties in the past but we have now rectified this and promise you a more up to date website in 2011.

Anyway this is just a quick update to remind you of some important information and upcoming events.

Canberra Raiders Fan Day: (members only) Saturday March 12, Canberra Stadium. The Raiders Army will be cooking a bbq for this event.

Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks Lighthouse Pre Match:

Canberra Raiders vs Cronulla Sharks: Sunday March 13, Canberra Stadium. Kick Off: 2pm.

Raiders Army Facebook Fan Page: Link,

Raiders Army Weekly Newsletter Subscription: Send an email to joinus@raidersarmy.com

We are also seeking any sort of feedback you might have. Whether it is about our group, our site, our banners we welcome it all. Simply send an email to joinus@raidersarmy.com and your feedback (be it positive or negative) will be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Raiders Army.

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Getting up at 8:00am is not a good way to start a Sunday, especially when sleep time for the previous night totalled about 3 hours, however there was an RA away trip on so it had to be done.

The faithfuls gathered at Kingston for a 9:00am departure, and in a new RA record, the first bus was on the road 3 minutes early. The other bus had to wait for the Northsiders who were being questioned at the border into the Southside…

Bus 1, the wet bus, was making surprisingly good time, and there was plenty of hearty banter from the front of the bus on the Raiders players and management. Those in the back were trying to pry as much info as we could out of Dugan’s grandma, but she was as tight lipped as Dugan’s defence and didn’t give up anything. KW and I began reminiscing on previous RA adventures, giving the newbies a taste of what can happen when you get on it with the RA!

The compulsory Sutton Forrest Maccas stop allowed the 2nd bus to finally catch up, and after a quick breakfast off the Maccas lunch menu (missed brekky by 5 mins – devo) we were on the road again. We had remembered to put the beers on ice, and keep them on our bus, so all was good. After a bit more debating, which included KW being accosted for not knowing when the next Raiders board meeting was on, the newspaper quizzes came out to play. Being the only one who could read at the back of the bus I was designated quiz master, while the others prepared themselves for questions. Unfortunately for KW, Bindi Irwin was not the answer to any question, and neither was John Newcombe in the Wimbledon trivia. Wayno was dominating everything, with Greg chipping in quietly from the corner every now and then.

Once ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ was over, it was confirmed that beer o’clock had been reached, and the back of the bus duly cracked a few. The 2nd bus, which at this point was travelling closely behind, was not impressed by this fact, as they only had water on board. Needless to say we did our best to show them what they were missing.

Upon arrival at our destination, we parked the buses at the gate, and headed into the worst ground in the league. Seiffert Oval has better seats than disLeichhardt, and that is saying something. Wooden planks greeted those with seating tickets, while those of us with GA at least had some grass for cushioning. The RA congregated on the hill in front of the portable big screen, and cheered on the Toyota Cup boys to a resounding victory over the competition leaders. With first grade kick off fast approaching we realised we had no confetti, enter Jed, the newspaper tearing champion of the RA. He had us 3 bags of confetti in no time, which we spread accordingly over the whole hill as the Raiders ran out. Thanks for stripping, Jed.

No need to go over the game, the Raiders did their best to make us think we were in for a win then hit the showers 5 minutes early. After 75 minutes of silence, Tigpies fans actually started cheering and tried to start up some chant about being a long way back to Canberra. The fact that we wanted to return to civilisation, where the toilets actually flush and dentists exist meant the chant didn’t last too long!

We wandered (crutched) back out to the bus, where KW was given the job of telling the non drinkers they were in the mini van for the way home. None were too disappointed about it, I think it was something to do with the fact that wouldn’t have to stop 15 times for pee breaks on the way.

We boarded the bus, cracked a beer, and went nowhere. Naturally we were sitting ducks for the attentions of passing mouthy, douchebag Tigpies fans with one notable twat unable to do anything other than sing ‘We are the Champions’ at us. The irony here is that this tool was wearing a wallabies jersey and had a haircut from 1993, which looked incredibly shit and we told him so. This jerk probably should have borrowed a hat from the Fat Controller – who was a good sport as he stood there with a ridiculous grin on his face while we proceeded to take the piss out of him and his stupid looking hat. The traffic out of the ground was terrible, but we were parked behind the Raiders bus so managed to give all the boys a cheer as they were walking to it. Massive ups to T Thommo and Monas who stopped and had chat, and also JayCar for giving me his sandwich. The Orr’s and I shared it and man was it a good sandwich – double ham!

After a pee break before we even left the ground, we were off, slowly. We made it about half an hour down the road before another pee stop was ordered. We stopped at a servo in Bankstown that doubled as a kebab store, which did some mean hot chips. As we were about to leave we noticed 2 were missing, only to see Spewing Sam and Slippery running back across the road with some Sunny Vale and Fruity Lexia casks. Trouble was brewing… or spewing…

Attempts were made to get some songs happening, however a mechanical failure with the ipod player meant that there was no backing music, and so every song lasted about 2 lines. The only songs that were finished the entire trip were the Green Machine, Queanbeyan High and Tuggeranong Hawks victory songs. The drinking song also made an appearance, and Spewing Sam, as his new name suggests, was soon decorating the outside of the bus with the Sunny Vale. The RA bus was stopped for its second ever spew stop (the first was on the Dragons away, and that was for Spewing Sam’s brother), and Sam was given a red card for his antics. Liam then decided it was a good time to bring out the Vuvuzela’s and for the rest of the trip the bus sounded like a South African soccer stadium.

Sam assumed the foetal position and passed out, was decorated in Raiders banners, then needed another spew. We stopped at a rest stop with actual toilets which was a nice change compared to the side of the road, next to a sheer rock-face where we has previously stopped. Also handy for someone on crutches, and females in general, as squatting proves difficult….

^Sam - Always spews on the left side of the bus!

We made it to Sutton Forrest Macca’s, where there were no cheeseburger challenges because it is after all, a family restaurant. And also because Marko wasn’t there. Some more chundering and we were ready to go. By this time it was about 9:00pm, there was no booze left and people were turning into major pests (KW). Sleeping was out of the question, as the Vuvuzela’s were out in force, as well as Slippery’s camera which has about a million flashes.

We finally made it back to Canberra about 10:30pm, an hour after the other bus, and everyone headed home with ringing ears and no voice.

Hope to see you all in Bay 72 this coming Monday, when the Raiders take on the Bulldogs at Fortress (?) Bruce.

GO RAIDERS!

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LOSE Stadium Tour – 2010 Edition, By Wenty Spook

The start of my day was pretty disgusting. On my way to the Railway Station, a fellow passenger was rather hung over and this necessitated an emergency stop so she could have a yack in the bushes outside the swanky new apartments on the Kingston Foreshore. Cop that, yuppies! And so began a day where the theme of spewing would be recurrent. My chucky friend didn’t make it onto the bus.

A full Lyneham High School bus left Kingston at 9:30am ready to head to Wollongong to watch the Dragons take on their bogey team, The Mighty Canberra Raiders. With only four regular Raiders Army members on board it was a fairly tame trip up. Highlights of the journey included watching RA Stalwart, KW’s face darken as he read a piece of fiction, written by Jessica Wrong, that had been published in that morning’s edition of the Canberra Times. I can’t even say that KW had been misquoted, because to be misquoted you actually need to provide a quote or two. The accompanying picture was also rather horrific and probably gave non-Raiders loving readers the impression that Raiders fans are all retarded nuffies.

After a stop at Sutton Forrest Macca’s the first Scrabble match of the season took place and it was Nick (Vandal) versus Marko versus Loz, who vowed to destroy the other two as she was a female and therefore had a much larger vocabulary than both of the lads. The challenge was made in the knowledge that Nick lived in Queanbeyan and probably didn’t know how to spell properly and Marko is from Serbia and only has a basic grasp of the English language. She was wrong. Vandal absolutely spanked the pair of them. We don’t know how he did it, but he kept pulling out with thousand point words such as ‘affy’, ‘gu’ and ‘li’ which were accepted as words by Marko’s (probably Serbian) phone. We know for a fact that Nick is a cheat and that’s why he’s moving to Melbourne.

This was my first ever trip to the ‘Gong and as we rolled into town my first impressions were ‘This is Campbelltown by the sea’. Luckily the closer into town we got, the more things improved. As we pulled up across from the Entertainment Centre we were promptly told that we were not allowed to park our bus in the bus parking area and that the bus had to be moved to the Lighthouse, thus continuing the RA’s strong association with Lighthouses. After bumping into Ness and James, who’d appeared from behind some bushes, we made our way to the Five Islands Brewery where we were met by a sizeable contingent of the Northern RA faithful and Michael. It was still early so Pooley’s most recently digested meal remained safely in his stomach (the accepted alternative location of Pooley’s stomach contents is on Knights fans. See ‘Marc Pooley – More Beer Than Man’), which was fortunate for Kaity as she had already been puked on by another RA member in the previous 12 hours. Suffice to say if she didn’t much like Coldplay before, she definitely wasn’t a fan now. Toby also showed up despite having PMS.

After the downing of several bevvies the RA made their way into LOSE stadium in dribs and drabs. While the setting of the ground is picturesque, it is in need of the upgrade it’s about to get. Hopefully the proprietors update their attitudes too. Apparently if you have GA tickets this obviously means that you are poor and of a lower social standing than those in the stands and therefore cannot be trusted drinking full strength beer. Not only that, Loz was absolutely outraged to discover this was probably the only ground in the NRL that didn’t sell goon, well not to the bogans on the hill anyway.

As the match started it became apparent early on that it was going to be a decent game. Campese has returned to form and Thommo is playing for a contract. The Raiders completed the first half leading 8 – 6. I missed the half time entertainment, but I think it may have been Kristina Keneally. The second half begins and it’s better than the first half with three tries being scored by the Mighty Green in a space of six minutes, pretty much putting the Dragons to the sword – I’ve never understood why the ‘St George’ team would have a Dragon as a mascot, didn’t St George slay the Dragon? Isn’t that like shooting yourself in the foot? – A late consolation try to the Steelers (that’s better!) made the score 22 – 14, but it wasn’t enough to save them and the Mighty Raiders walked away with their 3rd (OMG 3RD!!!) away win for the season and their first free-to-air victory since… I have NFI…

There had been a fair bit of wank in the Sydney media about how the Steelers had a depleted team due to their stars being called away on State of Origin duty. Diddums. Well done to them for ignoring the fact that our boys have been playing with an under-strength team for most of the season due to injuries AND we had our own rep players out for Origin too.

At the end of the match, the Raiders made their way to the hill to thank the fans and then the crowd slowly dispersed at the behest of the LOSE stadium security jerks, but not before we made a Brooke Burrito followed by a round of Stacks-On. We rejoined our bus mates as we waited for the bus and got better acquainted with our fellow travellers while sticking it to as many Steelers fans as we could.

The trip from Wollongong to Sutton Forest was uneventful, apart from marvelling at Vandal’s ability to be able to spot a BWS sign from 5 kms away, but that was all about to change once we hit Maccas. In the past, we always seem make it to Maccas in time to see the Toyota Cup team clean out the restaurant and once were privileged enough to witness Steve Naughton put away 5 cheeseburgers in one sitting (see ‘Run Rabbit, Run Tour – 2009). The following away game saw Marko try to better this by eating SIX cheeseburgers – he succeeded. We didn’t get there in time to see the Toyota Cup boys this time, but word of Marko’s amazing exploits had landed on the ears of the lads in the backseat and one hero decided to give it a crack himself. Our newest friend joined the RA4 armed with six cheeseburgers, and as he fortuitously claimed that he was no stranger to a good vom, everyone gathered around to watch the unfolding spectacle. He got off to a good start by downing the first cheeseburger in a matter of seconds, a second burger joined the first in equally quick succession and just as he takes a bite out of the 3rd burger things went pear shaped. Loz, Marko and Nick were 1/2 of way through (unsuccessfully) finishing a family box when our man turned green and had to make a bee-line for the gents, leaving the remaining burgers fair game to the circling vultures – AKA his mates, who had to be prompted to go and make sure he was OK. And the best part is we’ve got it on video. But I do think if our new anti-hero really wanted to be a serious contender he should have bought seven cheeseburgers… and a bucket…

The remainder of the trip saw Marko, Nick, KW and Loz move to the back of the bus and Pukey McSpew move closer to the door because the windows (when they can be opened) won’t open wide enough to stick your head out for a yack. And for the first time that any of us can recall we had to pull the bus over for a ralph-stop. At least P. McS. managed to set one precedent. Congrats.
So far the LOSE Stadium tour has been the away trip of the 2010 season and I’d like to thank our new friends, Ryan, Sam and Liam for help making the trip more entertaining than we could have ever foreseen and for providing Loz with the goon she missed out on at the stadium. Thanks also goes to Jamie for getting into the singalong and providing some fresh tunes. And last but not least thanks to Jamie’s mum, the Collins 3 and Bernie for being good sports for putting up with our shite singing.

Next up, the boys take on the Titans at Bruce. I’ll see you there! But you won’t see me… SssspPPPppooooOOoooKKkkyyyyy

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Just wanted to let you know that there will be a limited number of shirts for sale this Saturday night, both at the Captain Cook Hotel before the game and during the match at the SFS. We will have all sizes both men and womens. But there will be very limited numbers. So if you would like to be one of the first to own the new RA shirts for 2010 please approach either myself or Boing (we will both be wearing RA hoodies so will be easy to spot) and we will sell you one. The price is $35 each. If you are certain you want one please let me know either here or via the RA facebook page and tell me the size you’re after so I can hold one for you so you don’t miss out. This is a strictly limited run.

If you do miss out or can’t make it on saturday, don’t fret as they will soon be made available online (as well as the new hoodies!) And what I don’t sell on saturday I will have for sale at the Rabbitohs game next week.

Cheers, and remember, BELIEVE!

Azz

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Women’s sizes also available!

For details ask one of the lovely RA members modelling them at the game on Monday night.

Pricing and how to buy will be announced soon so stay tuned…

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