Greetings All

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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