The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
football club based in the national capital city of
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the List of citi ...
. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
(NRL) premiership since 1982. Over this period the club has won 3 premierships, (out of 6
Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
s played). They have not won a grand final since 1994 and last played in a grand final in 2019. They have received 1 wooden spoon and had a total of 15 of its players (9
New South Wales Blues and 6
Queensland Maroons) selected to play for the
Australia national rugby league team
The Australian National Rugby League Team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of Rugby league in Australia, the 'Northern Union game' in Australia in 1908. Admin ...
. The Raiders' current home ground is
Canberra Stadium
Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports ven ...
(GIO Stadium) in
Bruce, Australian Capital Territory
Bruce is a suburb of the Belconnen district of Canberra, that is located within the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb was gazetted on 6 June 1968 and named for The Viscount Bruce of Melbourne (1883–1967), the eighth Prime Mi ...
. Previously, the team played home matches at
Seiffert Oval
Seiffert Oval is an enclosed rectangular playing field in Queanbeyan, New South Wales. It has a grass playing surface and an official capacity of 15,000, 1,500 of which is seated capacity in the grandstand. The oval boasts lighting, toilets, k ...
in
Queanbeyan, New South Wales
Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...
, with the move to the AIS Stadium in Bruce taking place in 1990. The official symbol for the Canberra Raiders is the
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
. The Viking, also a mascot at Raiders' games, is known as Victor the Viking.
As part of the
New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...
's first expansion outside Sydney, the Raiders were admitted to the League, along with the
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On the 13th of December 1980, the ...
in
the 1982 season. Over the following years they improved steadily, reaching a playoff for 5th in their third season, and becoming the first non-Sydney team to make the finals (1987), after this they would go on to feature in a grand final (1987) and win a premiership (1989). This heralded a period of great success for the club, with five grand Final appearances and three premierships in eight years. During this period, the Raiders boasted international players such as
Mal Meninga
Malcolm Norman Meninga (; born 8 July 1960) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Australian national team and a former professional rugby league footballer. Meninga is widely regarded as one of the fin ...
,
Laurie Daley
Laurie William Daley AM (born 20 October 1969), also known by the nicknames of "Lozza" and "Loz", is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and a former player who played as a and in the 1980s and 1990s.
He represented Au ...
,
Ricky Stuart
Ricky John Stuart (born 7 January 1967) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Canberra Raiders in the NRL and a former rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
H ...
,
Glenn Lazarus
Glenn Patrick Lazarus (born 11 December 1965) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, and a former Australian Senator. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative , Lazarus won premie ...
,
Bradley Clyde
Bradley Clyde (born 27 January 1970) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s who, at the peak of his playing career was widely acknowledged as the best in the game. He represented ...
,
Gary Belcher
Gary Belcher (born 28 May 1962) is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former player. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative, he played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership f ...
,
Brett Mullins
Brett Mullins (born 21 January 1972) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, and early 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative back, he played his club ...
and
Steve Walters. After this came the
Super League war
The Super League war was a commercial competition between the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and the Australian Super League to establish pre-eminence in professional rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand in the mid-1990s.
Super ...
, with the Raiders switching to the rebel competition before continuing to compete in the re-unified NRL. During the 2000s the Raiders suffered from an exodus of experience. At the beginning of the
2009 season, the Raiders squad contained only four players who have played at the representative level.
Joel Monaghan
Joel Monaghan (born 22 April 1982) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Castleford Tigers ( Heritage № 962) in the Super League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Orig ...
and
Terry Campese
Terry Campese (born 4 August 1984) is a former professional rugby league footballer. A former Australia, Italy and New South Wales State of Origin representative , he is also the nephew of rugby union player David Campese. He previously played ...
each represented the Australian side during the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, with Monaghan also playing for the NSW blues during the third game of the
2008 State of Origin series.
History
At the beginning of the 1980s, the
New South Wales Rugby Football League
The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...
(NSWRFL) was looking to expand its Sydney-based
premiership into other areas of the state. The Queanbeyan Blues rugby league team who was coached by Colin O’Rourke at the time was selected to form the Canberra franchise. The Canberra franchise was accepted in 1981 as the 14th team for the
1982 NSWRFL season. Along with the
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On the 13th of December 1980, the ...
who were also introduced that season, they became the first NSWRFL club based outside Sydney since the old
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
team left in 1909.
1980s
The club's initial seasons were a mixed bag, with the team earning the Wooden Spoon in their debut year. The team was notorious for late game collapses, leading to the nicknames "Canberra Faders" and "Pine Lime
Splices", in what was also a reference to the team's colours. In fact, no team has conceded more tries in a season than the 1982 Raiders. The first points recorded by the Canberra Raiders were scored by Peter McGrath (later to become Chairman of the Australian Rugby Union). McGrath finished with 41 points in his first and only season with the Raiders.
[Season Summaries @ Canberra Raiders](_blank)
, accessed 2009-09-22 The club's first win, a 12–11 heartstopper v Newtown, came in its 8th match, and 3 more wins followed, most notably against then competition leaders Souths. 1983 saw 9 wins, more than doubling 1982's four. However, the team continued to struggle to win away from home. An away win first up in 1984 foreshadowed a much improved season, a positive winning record (13–11) snagging a playoff for fifth versus Souths. But this game was lost (4–23), and the Raiders had still not succeeded in reaching the semi-finals of the competition.
1985 saw regression, with the team winning only 8 games (though the reserves did reach the Grand Final). Though 1986 was similarly disappointing, the team had a core group of players, such as Queensland trio Mal Meninga, Gary Belcher, Steve Walters, and
John Ferguson who would greatly influence the coming decade.
This was the most successful period in the Raiders' short history, with 5 Grand Finals and 3 premierships. In
1987, the team finished third after the minor rounds, resulting in a maiden semi-finals appearance. Despite going down 25–16 in their first finals match against
Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to:
Places
*Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India
*Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia
**Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia
Sports clubs
;Association football
*Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand
* Eastern ...
, the Raiders rallied to defeat
South Sydney (46–12) and Easts again (32–24) in the Preliminary Final. The latter earned the team a place in the Grand Final, but they were never really competitive against minor premiers
Manly-Warringah
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...
, going down 18–8 in what was the last Grand Final to be played at the
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
. The GF attracted the Raiders all-time record attendance of 50,201.
Laurie Daley
Laurie William Daley AM (born 20 October 1969), also known by the nicknames of "Lozza" and "Loz", is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and a former player who played as a and in the 1980s and 1990s.
He represented Au ...
,
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
and
Glenn Lazarus
Glenn Patrick Lazarus (born 11 December 1965) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, and a former Australian Senator. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative , Lazarus won premie ...
all made their debut for Canberra in 1987, though only
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
State of Origin
A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...
Jackson played a prominent role that year, more so after his centre partner Meninga broke his arm and missed half of the season.
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
featured free-scoring (over 100 tries in 22 games) and a number of large victories, with the team again finishing in third place on the ladder. Unfortunately, a narrow 19–18 loss against eventual premiers
Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown is a customary region of Sydney, Australia, in the south-western suburbs. The area is located around the Bankstown railway line, to the west of the St George region and to the south of the Inner West region. The suburbs ...
in the Major Semi-Final was followed by defeat against the
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995–96) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in t ...
and an early exit. After the debuts of Daley, Jackson and Lazarus in 1987, 1988 saw the debuts of future internationals
Bradley Clyde
Bradley Clyde (born 27 January 1970) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s who, at the peak of his playing career was widely acknowledged as the best in the game. He represented ...
, and former
Wallaby
A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized Macropodidae, macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same Taxonomy (biology), taxon ...
scrum half, Queanbeyan born
Ricky Stuart
Ricky John Stuart (born 7 January 1967) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Canberra Raiders in the NRL and a former rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
H ...
.
With 5 rounds to play in the
1989 season, Canberra were 7th and in danger of missing the semis. But a hard-fought 14–10 win over Easts started a 9 match winning streak, culminating in the club's first Premiership. Throughout the finals, Canberra was forced to walk the sudden-death tightrope after sneaking into the finals in fourth place. They easily accounted for
Cronulla
Cronulla is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Boasting numerous surf beaches and swimming spots, the suburb attracts both tourists and Greater Sydney residents. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydne ...
31–10 in the Qualifying final, before defeating the emerging
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrit ...
27–18 in the Semis. Then the Preliminary final, the Raiders defeated the minor premiers South Sydney 32–16 to qualify for their second Grand Final appearance in three seasons.
In one of the all-time great Grand Finals against Balmain, the Raiders sent the game into extra time after a late John Ferguson try that was converted by Meninga. Reserve forward
Steve Jackson then scored the winning try to win the premiership for the Raiders in extra time after crashing through 4 Tigers defenders. Following the Grand Final win, the Raiders then went on to play in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
in the
official World Club Challenge against
Stones Bitter Championship winners
Widnes
Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464.
Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
. Widnes however, with their main strike weapon,
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
winger and the fastest player in rugby league at the time,
Martin Offiah
Martin Nwokocha Offiah MBE ( (''original pronunciation''), (''commonly used'')); born 29 December 1965) is an English former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Offiah was inducted i ...
, in top form, defeated Canberra 30–18 in front of 30,768 fans.
Fullback Gary Belcher became the first Raider to be the NSWRL's leading point scorer in 1988 with 218 points (10 tries and 89 goals). 1989 also saw the
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
and Queensland fullback become the first Raider to lead the league in try scoring when he crossed for 17 tries. Belcher was also the first ever fullback to lead the try scoring list in a season.
1990s
1990 was a stellar year for the club at all levels. All three grades making the Grand Final, with only the reserves losing. The first grade side earned their first Minor Premiership and a second consecutive title, defeating
Penrith in the decider. Trouble brewed in 1991 as the club was embroiled in
salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...
hardships. Nonetheless, a fourth Grand Final berth was secured – the team's third in a row. However, the team went down to Penrith in a repeat of the 1990 Grand Final. Jason Croker, the team's longest serving player, debuted this year.
The fallout from the salary cap scandal saw several players leave the club, most prominently
Glenn Lazarus
Glenn Patrick Lazarus (born 11 December 1965) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, and a former Australian Senator. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative , Lazarus won premie ...
,
Brent Todd
Brent Trevor Todd (born 5 December 1964) is a New Zealand former professional sportsman who has represented New Zealand at both rugby league football and water polo. His rugby league position was prop forward.
Early years
Todd played in the Ne ...
,
David Barnhill
David Barnhill (born 8 June 1969) is a former Ireland international rugby league footballer who
played as a Second row forward in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. His club career was with the Canberra Raiders, St. George Dragons, Sydney City and ...
,
Nigel Gaffey, and
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006.
The son o ...
. An average performance resulted, with the Raiders missing the finals for the first time since 1986.
David Furner
David Furner (born 6 February 1971) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who was the head coach of the Leeds Rhinos, and a former player. He is the former assistant coach for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL, and the ...
, son of former Raiders and Australian coach
Don Furner
Don Furner (26 December 1932 – 24 February 2020) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. As a player, he represented Queensland on nine occasions and also toured with the 1956–57 Kangaroos.
He began his coaching career as a pl ...
, started out in this year.
Since their final premiership in 1994 which was a convincing win against the Bulldogs with some of the most spectacular tries ever seen in a grand final with the final score being 36–12. The Raiders have been unable to scale their previous heights, largely due to their inability to lure representative players to the capital. The team bowed out in Round 1 of the 1996 finals series, losing to St George. The next year, they were one of several teams that joined the breakaway
Super League competition, losing in the preliminary final to the
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...
. It was upon rejoining the newly formed
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
the following year that the team began their decline. The Raiders' problems came to a head in the late 1990s, when club legends
Ricky Stuart
Ricky John Stuart (born 7 January 1967) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Canberra Raiders in the NRL and a former rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
H ...
and
Bradley Clyde
Bradley Clyde (born 27 January 1970) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s who, at the peak of his playing career was widely acknowledged as the best in the game. He represented ...
were forced out in order to accommodate players such as
Brett Finch
Brett John Finch (born 20 August 1981) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative half back, he played in the National Rugby League for Austra ...
. Finch would ironically leave the Raiders soon after to play under Stuart, who has since returned to the club to be its head coach from 2014 onwards.
2000s
The Raiders had mixed results in the new millennium, often finishing just inside or just outside the final eight and usually being bundled out of the finals in the early weeks, However, in 2003, the Raiders unexpectedly led the competition for most of the season, almost clinching the minor premiership. The Raiders then lost narrowly to the
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...
in the opening finals game, but still advanced to Week 2 due to ladder position. In one of the closest games in recent history, the Raiders were eclipsed by one point in the preliminary final by the
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...
and eliminated from the 2003 competition.
Many fans believed the achievements of 2003 would be improved in the following years. However, the Raiders finished a disappointing 8th in 2004, being knocked out in week one of the finals by the Sydney Roosters. Club legends
Ruben Wiki
Ruben James Wiki (born 21 January 1973) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative centre-turned-prop forward, he retired with the record for most ...
and
Mark McLinden
Mark McLinden (born 8 July 1979) is an Australian former professional rugby footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played rugby league in the NRL for Australian club, the Canberra Raiders and in the Super League for English club the London Br ...
left the Raiders for other clubs in this year. Wiki's loss, in particular, was a bitter pill to swallow for many Raiders fans, as it was found that the New Zealand Warriors had significantly breached the salary cap in signing him (the Warriors eventually paid the price for this, being docked four competition points at the beginning of the 2006 season). The 2005 side was written off by fans and critics alike, as the club's two major signings,
Jason Smith and
Matt Adamson
Matt Adamson (born 14 August 1972 in Taree, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative (under t ...
, were ageing veterans considered well past their prime. However, both, particularly Smith, proved formidable campaigners, and the Raiders were joint competition leaders in Round 10. But as the season progressed, injuries took their toll and the Raiders finished second last on points differential to the
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...
. The Raiders started
season 2006 heavy favourites to run last, but despite this pessimism and heavy losses to the Knights and the Roosters early on, fought back and guaranteed themselves a finals berth with a round to play.
2006 saw club stalwarts
Simon Woolford
Simon Woolford (born 7 April 1975) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who was most recently the head coach of the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, and a former professional rugby league footballer.
He played in the NRL ...
,
Clinton Schifcofske
Clinton Schifcofske (born 10 November 1975), also known by the nickname of "Choka", is an Australian former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer. During his career, he played for the Crusaders in the Super League. as well as th ...
and the club's longest serving player,
Jason Croker
Jason Croker (born 10 March 1973) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative utility player, he previously played club football in the NRL for t ...
, leave the club, going to St George Illawarra, the Queensland Reds rugby union team and the
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
club
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons (French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from outs ...
respectively. Outgoing backs Schifcofske and Adam Mogg both earned representative berths with Queensland in State of Origin. Saturday 9 September 2006 saw Jason Croker, Simon Woolford, Clinton Schifcofske, Michael Hodgson, Jason Smith and Adam Mogg all play their final games for the club. The round one finals series clash with the
Bulldogs
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.[Telstra Stadium
Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stad ...]
, and eliminated from the 2006 premiership race. This was also the final match for coach Matthew Elliott, who is coaching Penrith in 2007. His replacement is former North Queensland Cowboys' assistant coach Neil Henry.
In 2007, the Raiders were an unknown quantity. Having lost star players such as Schifcofske, Smith, Croker and Woolford in key positions, the Raiders found themselves with a new captain in
Alan Tongue
Alan Tongue (born 13 October 1980) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A Country New South Wales representative forward, he captained the Canberra Raiders for several seasons in the ...
relying on young, inexperienced players such as
Todd Carney
Todd Carney (born 2 June 1986), also known by the nickname of "Toddy", is an Australian former professional rugby league player who played in the 2000s and 2010s.
He has previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Sydney Roosters and ...
,
William Zillman
William Gary "Zilly" Zillman (born 30 July 1986) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s, he played in the National Rugby League. His usual position is at but can also play . Zillman has ...
and
Michael Dobson to step up and take on more prominent roles within the team. The sense of inexperience was reinforced by the selection of
Neil Henry
Neil Henry (born 23 January 1961) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He was formerly the head coach for the Canberra Raiders, North Queensland Cowboys and Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League ...
as coach, despite his lack of first-grade coaching experience. Though the Raiders were bolstered by late season signings
Neville Costigan
Neville Costigan (born 16 March 1985) is a Papua New Guinean former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A Papua New Guinea international and Queensland State of Origin representative forward, he played in the ...
and
Matt Bickerstaff
Matt Bickerstaff (born 27 April 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League competition for the South Queensland Crushers, Cronulla-Sutherland Shar ...
, several critics believed that the Raiders' significant loss of experience would result in their "winning" the wooden spoon.
2007 was, overall, a disappointing season for the Raiders, who finished in 14th place despite entering the top 8 midway through the season. However, two players –
Phil Graham
Philip Leslie Graham (July 18, 1915 – August 3, 1963) was an American newspaperman. He served as publisher and later co-owner of ''The Washington Post'' and its parent company, The Washington Post Company.
During his years with the Post Comp ...
for
Country Origin
The Country New South Wales rugby league team is a representative rugby league football team. Between 1987 and 2017 there were two tiers: the Origin team that consisted of professional players who originated from clubs of the Country Rugby Leagu ...
and
Neville Costigan
Neville Costigan (born 16 March 1985) is a Papua New Guinean former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A Papua New Guinea international and Queensland State of Origin representative forward, he played in the ...
for Queensland – achieved representative status. The season was notable for the difference in the team's performance at and away from home, with just 2 of their 9 wins occurring outside Canberra. Coach
Neil Henry
Neil Henry (born 23 January 1961) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He was formerly the head coach for the Canberra Raiders, North Queensland Cowboys and Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League ...
incurred a fine of $10 000 for questioning the impartiality of the referee after the round 19 clash.
The 2008 season started with some promise for the Raiders – a good showing despite a loss in round 1 vs. Newcastle was followed up with two solid wins against Penrith and St. George-Illawarra. The club then suffered a series of losses, whilst snaring only the occasional victory, with a big come from behind victory against Wests being noteworthy. In the representative field, Todd Carney and
Joel Monaghan
Joel Monaghan (born 22 April 1982) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Castleford Tigers ( Heritage № 962) in the Super League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Orig ...
picked for
Country Origin
The Country New South Wales rugby league team is a representative rugby league football team. Between 1987 and 2017 there were two tiers: the Origin team that consisted of professional players who originated from clubs of the Country Rugby Leagu ...
, and Monaghan being a shadow player for the New South Wales Side.
In September 2008, despite a heavy injury toll, the Raiders guaranteed themselves a place in the NRL 2008 Finals Series winning seven of their last nine regular season games, a feat which was at the start of the season impossible according to Rugby League punditry in Australia. The Raiders semi-final appearance was brief, however. After being defeated by the Cronulla Sharks, the Raiders 6th-place finish was considered to be enough to get them a second chance. However, a huge upset with 8th place New Zealand defeating minor premiers Melbourne saw the Raiders eliminated.
The season had not been without controversy however, with star halfback Todd Carney and fullback Bronx Goodwin being stood down by the club after an altercation at a Canberra nightclub following the round 19 win against the Roosters. Carney was eventually dismissed by the club after failing to agree to the punishment plan the club had laid out for him, Goodwin was also sacked from the club.
A slow start to the
2009 season saw the raiders lose to the tigers and the roosters. However, with the help from under 20s debutants Josh Dugan, Jarrod Croker and Travis Waddell they won their next two matches. Despite a disappointing season for the raiders losing to many close games the Raiders were able to beat the
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...
for the first time in 14 games and 7 years 26–16 in round 16 to keep their slim finals hopes alive. The Raiders also had a memorable win over the number one team at the time
St George-Illawarra Dragons
The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...
, by 24–12. Despite wins against three of the top four (St George Illawarra Dragons, Gold Coast Titans and the Melbourne Storm) and coming within three points of the other (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs) losses to bottom placed teams Cronulla Sharks and Sydney Roosters at home saw the raiders finish in 13th.
2010s
The 2010 season began traditionally poorly for the Raiders with a loss to
Penrith in the opening round however against early-season expectations that the Raiders would again struggle the club posted early season wins over Brisbane in round two, Parramatta in round five and the
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...
in round eight in New Zealand in what was the club's first win in New Zealand since the early 2000s. However, losses to Todd Carney's new club the
Roosters
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
in round six and a narrow loss at home to the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...
in round seven saw the club sitting second from last after round seven (last had the
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...
not been stripped of competition points due to salary cap breaches) of the 2010 season. Wins over the ladder-leading Dragons and the
Gold Coast Titans
The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...
followed until a four-game losing streak ensued; with the club sitting third from last after a round 17 home loss to the Roosters in what was
Todd Carney
Todd Carney (born 2 June 1986), also known by the nickname of "Toddy", is an Australian former professional rugby league player who played in the 2000s and 2010s.
He has previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Sydney Roosters and ...
's return to the nation's capital. The Raiders then began a run similar to that of
Parramatta
Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...
last year; winning eight of their next nine regular season matches to sneak into the top eight by season's end. The regular season's highest home attendance came when 20,445 fans filled Canberra Stadium to see the Raiders defeat the ladder-leading Dragons 32-16 for the second time in the season.
The Raiders advanced to the finals on the back of eight wins from their past nine and were drawn a tough away final against the second-placed
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrit ...
whom the Raiders had beaten just five weeks earlier. The Raiders led from the start and despite lapses at times during the match the Raiders managed to sniff out a narrow 24–22 win, thus achieving its first final win in a decade, which ironically was also against the Panthers. This saw the Raiders draw a home final against the
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
in round two of the finals. Having lost to the Tigers twice during the regular season, it was hoped that a record crowd of 26,746 would inspire the Raiders to continue their fairytale run deep into the finals, however a missed penalty attempt by
Jarrod Croker
Jarrod Keith Croker (born 11 September 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who is the captain and goal-kicking for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL.
He has played his entire career to date with Canberra, with whom he b ...
in the final minutes of the match saw Canberra lose by 26-24 and therefore draw a curtain on the Raiders' 2010 season.
The Raiders off season didn't start well, with Joel Monaghan being sacked by the club for inappropriate behavior with a teammate's dog. This appeared to be a team building exercise, as photos surfaced showing the rest of the team cheering him on.
In 2011, the Raiders bolstered its already strong roster with the addition of
Blake Ferguson,
Brett White and former Dally M medalist
Matt Orford
Matthew Orford (born 22 April 1978), also known by the nickname of "The Ox", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the Erina Eagles as a junior. A City New South Wales rep ...
. The latter signing was an important one for the Raiders as vice-captain and star playmaker
Terry Campese
Terry Campese (born 4 August 1984) is a former professional rugby league footballer. A former Australia, Italy and New South Wales State of Origin representative , he is also the nephew of rugby union player David Campese. He previously played ...
is out indefinitely due to a knee injury suffered in the semi-final loss to Wests at the end of the 2010 season. After starting the season with a 40-16 thumping of the
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...
in round one, the Raiders have since lost their last eight matches in succession, and were sitting at the bottom of the ladder by round nine. Their fortunes started to turn when they caused the boilover of the 2011 season, upsetting the
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
by 20–12. This was Canberra's first win in the Victorian capital since 2000. This was tempered by being held scoreless for the first time at home in their history by Melbourne in round 19, losing 26–0. One other unlikely win to the Raiders against a 7th place
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilita ...
at home 20-12 has kept the momentum building as the Raiders look to turn their season around.
Canberra finished the
2012 NRL season in 6th position on the table and qualified for the finals. The club defeated the
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...
in the qualifying final but were eliminated the following week by
South Sydney in the semi final.
The Raiders 2013 campaign began with two demoralising defeats to
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrit ...
and
Gold Coast Titans
The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...
, only managing to score 10 points in the two games while conceding 68. Another early blow to the Raiders at the start of the 2013 season was the irresponsible behaviour of up and coming superstar
Josh Dugan
Joshua Dugan (born 10 May 1990) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a and for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He previously played for the Canberra R ...
whom was sacked from the club for disciplinary reasons after he and teammate Blake Ferguson missed a team recovery session in favour of spending the day drinking on the rooftop of Blake Fergusons home. The Raiders then managed to win 5 of the next 7 games including upsets to the undefeated
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...
away from home and premiership favourites
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...
, winning all games played at
Canberra Stadium
Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports ven ...
for the first 12 rounds of the premiership season.
In 2014, Canberra hired Ricky Stuart as their new head coach. He had large success with the team. Star player,
Anthony Milford
Anthony Milford (born 11 July 1994) is a Samoan international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Dolphins in the NRL.
He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby Le ...
, agreed to sign with rival team, Brisbane, disappointing Canberra fans. Canberra would finish the
2014 NRL season
The 2014 NRL season was the 107th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 17th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand, for the Auckland Nines, replacing the Rugby Leagu ...
in 15th place, narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon.
In 2015, the Raiders finished 10th off the back of well below average defence.
In 2016, Canberra finished 2nd, for just the 3rd time in their history. They made the finals for the first time since 2012,
Jarrod Croker
Jarrod Keith Croker (born 11 September 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who is the captain and goal-kicking for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL.
He has played his entire career to date with Canberra, with whom he b ...
broke the club point scoring record, they scored the most points for any Raiders team in a single season and they made a preliminary final for the first time since 1997. They eventually lost in the preliminary final 14–12 to the
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...
at
AAMI Park.
In 2017, Canberra finished in 10th position with 11 wins and 13 losses.
In the 2018 NRL season, Canberra finished in 10th place on the table and missed out on the finals for the second consecutive season. The year was typified by the fact that the club could not hold onto a lead in many games throughout the season with the club losing games against Brisbane and Penrith despite being between 14 and 18 points ahead in both matches.
The
2018 NRL season saw one of the best starts by the club since the 1990s when they got off to a 5–1 record after the first 6 rounds. At the completion of round 21, Canberra sat in 3rd place with a record of 13 wins and 7 losses which was almost identical position on the ladder and win–loss record they had at the same stage of the 2016 season. 2019 saw the introduction and flying start to their careers for new fullback
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (born 2 August 1995) is a professional rugby league footballer from New Zealand who plays as a for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for the Cook Islands, New Zealand, and the N ...
and the club's 4th English recruit
John Bateman both of whom were revelations for the club and were in contention for 'signing of the year'. After beating
South Sydney in the preliminary final, Canberra qualified for their first Grand Final in 25 years against the
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...
.
In the
2019 NRL Grand Final against the
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...
, Canberra would go on to lose the match 14–8 in controversial circumstances at
ANZ Stadium
ANZ may refer to:
People
* Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician
Banks
* ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia
** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand
* ...
. During the second half of the game and with only 10 minutes remaining, Canberra were initially given a new six tackle set after referee
Ben Cummins had ruled that the
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...
had touched the ball. Canberra player
Jack Wighton
Jack Wighton (born 4 February 1993) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL and Australia at international level.
He has played at representative level for the Indigenous All ...
would then be tackled with the ball. Cummins later ruled that it was not a repeat set and it was a handover to the
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...
. In the following minutes, Easts player
James Tedesco
James Tedesco (born 8 January 1993), nicknamed "Teddy", is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and captains the Sydney Roosters in the NRL, New South Wales rugby league team and Australia.
He previously played for the Wests ...
would score the match winning try.
2020s
Canberra finished the
2020 NRL season in fifth place narrowly missing out on fourth place. The club would then go on to defeat
Cronulla-Sutherland and the
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...
to set up a preliminary final match against Melbourne. Canberra would go on to lose the preliminary final to Melbourne at
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...
which ended their season.
Canberra started the
2021 NRL season as one of the club's expected to finish in the top four and challenge for the premiership. After a good start to the year winning the opening two matches, Canberra would only win once in the next seven games. After round 16, Canberra found themselves in 13th place on the table after losing 44–6 against the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
. The club would then spark an end of season revival winning five of the next eight matches to be just outside the finals places. In the final round of the season, Canberra needed to beat the
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...
and hope other results went their way in order to qualify for the finals. Canberra would lose the match 40–16, which saw them finish the year in 10th place.
Canberra started the
2022 NRL season poorly which included a run of five straight losses. By round 14, Canberra were 11th on the table and looked unlikely to reach the top 8 until the club went on to win eight of their last ten matches to leapfrog Brisbane into 8th place. In week one of the finals, Canberra upset
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
28-20 at
AAMI Park. The following week, Canberra were defeated 40-4 by
Parramatta
Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...
which ended their season.
Toyota Cup (Under 20s)
The Raiders' Toyota Cup team won 28–24 over the Broncos' team in
golden point
The golden point, a sudden death overtime system, is used to resolve drawn football matches. The term is borrowed from soccer's now-defunct golden goal.
Rugby league Australia
The golden point is used to determine a winner (where applicable, see ...
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
to win the Toyota Cup (Under 20s) Premiership in the lead-up game to the
NRL
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
Grand Final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
on 5 October 2008. In
2009 the team was unsuccessful in defending its National Youth Competition title, finishing eighth at the end of the regular season. The team were able to upset the minor premiers Manly in week one of the finals but lost to the Wests Tigers in week two ending their title defence.
Season summaries
Head-to-head records
Finals appearances
22 (
1984,
1987,
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
,
1989,
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
,
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
,
1993,
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
,
1996 1997,
1998,
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
,
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
,
2003,
2004,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
,
2008,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2016,
2019,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
,
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
)
Emblem and colours
File:Old Canberra Raiders logo.jpg, 1981-1999
File:Canberra Raiders logo.svg, 2000–2019
Since inception, the Raiders' team colours have been lime green and white with blue and gold bands. In recent years, the "away" strip for the team has been mostly white, with lime green, blue and gold bands. The lime green was chosen as the main colour as it differentiated the side from the colours of other clubs. The blue and gold were included in the Raiders colours as they are the traditional sporting colours of the
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
.
The original jersey's design was chosen through a competition held by the club in 1981. The winning entrant was Ms Patricia Taylor, whose design was duly adopted. The lime green colour was selected from the entry of David Lane, who had submitted a design with the team name of 'Canberra Cockatoos'.
File:Canberra Jersey 1982.png, 1982-1987
File:Canberra Jersey 1988.png, 1988-1989
File:Canberra Jersey 1990.png, 1990-1993
File:Canberra Jersey 1994.png, 1994-1996
File:Canberra Jersey 1997.png, 1997-1999
File:Canberra Jersey 2000.png, 2000-2002
File:Canberra Jersey 2003.png, 2003-2005
File:Canberra Jersey 2006.png, 2006-2008
File:2023 Canberra Home.png, 2023
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
Stadium
Seiffert Oval
From 1982 until the end of 1989, the Raiders played their home games at the
Seiffert Oval
Seiffert Oval is an enclosed rectangular playing field in Queanbeyan, New South Wales. It has a grass playing surface and an official capacity of 15,000, 1,500 of which is seated capacity in the grandstand. The oval boasts lighting, toilets, k ...
located in
Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...
in New South Wales. They played their first game at the ground on 6 March 1982 against the
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies (legal name: Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Ltd) are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly r ...
. the Magpies won this game 33–4 in front of 6,769 fans. The Raiders first win at Seiffert came on 18 April with a 21–11 win over
1981 Grand Finalists Newtown.
Overall, the Raiders would play 98 games at Seiffert Oval, winning 52, losing 45 with one drawn game. Canberra's largest attendance at Seiffert came in Round 12 of the 1989 season when 18,272 saw the Raiders triumph 27–6 over the
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...
who were coached by former Raiders co-coach Wayne Bennett.
Bruce/Canberra Stadium
In 1990, the Canberra Raiders moved out of their original home and into the spacious
Bruce Stadium
Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports ven ...
which is located adjacent to the
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
. The club has remained at Bruce Stadium (later renamed Canberra Stadium, then GIO Stadium due to current naming rights sponsorship) ever since. As of the end of the 2022 NRL season, the Canberra Raiders have played over 300 games at Canberra Stadium.
The Raiders attendance record at Canberra Stadium stands at 26,567 for a Finals week 3 clash against the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...
in 2019. The Raiders beat Souths 16–10 to progress to their first Grand Final since 1994.
Canberra Raiders Leagues Club
Located in Gungahlin, ACT, Australia.
2023 squad
2023 Signings & Transfers
Gains
*
Danny Levi -
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the Super League competition. They play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium which is sh ...
*
Pasami Saulo
Pasami Saulo (born 1 August 1998) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL.
He previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League.
Background
Saulo was born in Belmon ...
-
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...
Losses
*
Adam Elliott
Adam Elliott (born 16 October 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and forward for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL.
He previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Canberra Raiders in th ...
-
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...
*
Josh Hodgson
Joshua Hodgson (born 31 October 1989) is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL. He has played for the England Knights, England and Great Britain at international level.
He has previously ...
-
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League.
The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...
*
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (born 2 August 1995) is a professional rugby league footballer from New Zealand who plays as a for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for the Cook Islands, New Zealand, and the N ...
-
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...
*
Harry Rushton -
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the Super League competition. They play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium which is sh ...
*
Ryan Sutton
Ryan Sutton (born 2 August 1995) is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL).
He previously played for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League an ...
-
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilita ...
*
Sam Williams -
Queanbeyan Kangaroos
Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...
Players
25-Year Dream Team
This is the 25-man "Dream Team" picked in the
Canberra Times
''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times.
History
''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...
to celebrate the club's 25th season in 2006
Representative players
Coaches
The Canberra Raiders' first coach was former Queensland and Australian representative player,
Don Furner
Don Furner (26 December 1932 – 24 February 2020) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. As a player, he represented Queensland on nine occasions and also toured with the 1956–57 Kangaroos.
He began his coaching career as a pl ...
, who was coaching in Queanbeyan at the time of the club's formation in 1982. In 1987 he was joined by
Wayne Bennett, who was coaching in Brisbane, and the Raiders reached their first
grand final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
. In 2022,
Ricky Stuart
Ricky John Stuart (born 7 January 1967) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Canberra Raiders in the NRL and a former rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
H ...
will become the longest-serving coach.
Statistics and records
The Raiders' largest ever winning margin was 68 points, when they defeated the
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League.
The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...
68-0 during the
1993 NSWRL season. Their worst loss was in the
2013 NRL season when the
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...
dealt a 4–68 defeat. Canberra have won eleven consecutive games twice, in 1990 and in 1995.
Jason Croker
Jason Croker (born 10 March 1973) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative utility player, he previously played club football in the NRL for t ...
has played the most games for the Raiders with 318 between 1991 and 2006. He also holds the club's all-time try-scoring record with 120.
Jarrod Croker
Jarrod Keith Croker (born 11 September 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who is the captain and goal-kicking for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL.
He has played his entire career to date with Canberra, with whom he b ...
is Canberra's highest ever point scorer with 2238 (133 tries, 853 goals) between 2012 and 2021. Jarrod Croker took out the award of highest point scorer in the NRL in 2012, 2015, and 2016. He was also awarded Dally M captain of the year in 2016.
Honours
Youth and pre-season
*
NSWRL Premier League
The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserv ...
: 1
:: 2003
*New South Wales Rugby League Club Championships: 1
:: 1990
*
Channel TEN Challenge Cup: 1
:: 1990
*
Tooheys Challenge Cup
The Tooheys Challenge Cup (subsequently known by various other sponsors' names including the Network 10, Channel Ten Challenge Cup, Lotteries in Australia, Lotto Challenge Cup and Tooheys Brewery, Tooheys Challenge Cup) was a Pre-season knockout r ...
: 1
:: 1993
*
Jersey Flegg Cup
The Jersey Flegg Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged 21 or under. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), and is named for Easte ...
: 2
:: 1989, 1993
*
Under-20s Competition: 1
::
2008
*
Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably ...
: 2
:: 1990, 1995
*
S.G. Ball Cup
The S. G. Ball Cup is a junior rugby league football competition played predominantly in New South Wales, between teams made up of players aged under 19. Teams from Canberra and Melbourne (Victoria Thunderbolts) also participate. Prior to the C ...
: 3
:: 1995, 2005, 2021
*
Harold Matthews Cup
The NSWRL Harold Matthews Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales between teams made up of players aged under 16. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL). The competition is made up o ...
: 4
:: 1978, 1984, 1993,
1995
Supporters
The Canberra Raiders receive support from groups of fans, including supporter's website, podcast and news service "Raidercast"; and forum "The Greenhouse".
Canberra fans became widely known for the
Viking War Horn and '
Viking Thunder Clap
The Viking Thunder Clap or Viking Clap is a football chant, consisting of a loud shout and a clap in unison, which is then repeated initially several seconds later and gradually speeding up over time. The chant has been performed by fans of a num ...
', a nod to the Viking chant recently made famous by fans of the
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team (in ) represents Iceland in men's international football. The team is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland, and have been a FIFA member since 1947 and an UEFA member since 1957. The team's nickn ...
.
Notable celebrity supporters of the club include;
, valign=top ,
*
Michael Bevan
Michael Gwyl Bevan (born 8 May 1970) is a former Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a slow left arm wrist-spin bowler. He has been credited for initiating the art of finishing matches. For several years, he was considered as ...
, Former Australian Cricketer
*
Shaun Cole, Colleges Knights Rugby
*
Brad Haddin
Bradley James Haddin (born 23 October 1977), is a former Australian cricketer, vice-captain and coach who represented Australia in all three forms of international cricket. He played domestically for New South Wales as a right-handed batsman ...
,
Australian Cricketer
*
Bob Hawke, 23rd
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
*
James Hird
James Albert Hird (born 4 February 1973) is a former professional Australian rules football player and past senior coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Hird played as a midfielder and half-forward, but ...
, Former AFL footballer and coach
*
Craig Hutchison, Broadcaster and Media Owner
*
Lauren Jackson,
Australian Women's Basketball Player
*
Brendan Jones, Golfer
*
Usman Khawaja
Usman Tariq Khawaja ( ur, ; born 18 December 1986) is an Australian cricketer who represents Australia and Queensland. Khawaja made his first-class cricket debut for New South Wales in 2008 and played his first international match for Australi ...
, Australian Cricketer
*
Michael Klim
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
, Polish born Australian swimmer
*
Nick Kyrgios, Australian tennis player
, valign=top ,
*
Matthew Le Nevez, Actor
*
Nathan Lyon
Nathan Michael Lyon (born 20 November 1987) is an Australian international cricketer. He made his Test debut in 2011 and plays domestic cricket for New South Wales. Lyon is an off spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batsman. Considered ...
, Australian cricketer
*
Michael Milton,
Paralympian
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
*
Erin Molan
Erin Molan (born 24 August 1984) is an Australian television sports presenter.
She is currently a Primetime Contributor on Sky News Australia, radio presenter on 2Day FM and columnist on The Daily Telegraph.
Molan previously worked with the ...
, Journalist, television host.
*
Mick Molloy
Michael Molloy (born 11 July 1966) is an Australian comedian, writer, producer, actor and television and radio presenter who has been active in radio, television, stand-up and film. He currently hosts '' The Front Bar'' on the Seven Network.
...
, Australian comedian and actor
*
Arjun Nair
Arjun Nair (born 12 April 1998) is an Australian cricketer. He is an All-Rounder who bats in right hand and bowls right arm off-spin. He made his first-class debut for New South Wales in February 2016 in the 2015–16 Sheffield Shield against ...
Australian cricketer
*
James O'Loghlin
James O'Loghlin (born 1966) is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter. He works for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Local Radio evening program in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Career
Previous ...
, Media Personality
*
Thomas Randle
Thomas Randle (born 7 April 1996) is an Australian racing driver. He currently races in the Supercars Championship for Tickford Racing in the No. 55 Ford Mustang GT. Randle has also won the 2014 Australian Formula Ford Series, 2017 Toyota Ra ...
, V8 Driver
*
Bruce Reid
Bruce Anthony Reid (born 14 March 1963) is a former Australian international cricketer. A tall left-arm fast-medium bowler, Reid also played domestically for his home state Western Australia.
Domestic career
Reid played for Western Australi ...
, Former Australian Cricketer
*
Jai Taurima
Jai Desmond Taurima (born 26 June 1972 in Southport, Queensland) is an Australian retired athlete who competed in the long jump.
Despite smoking a packet of cigarettes a day, he won a surprising silver medal at the 2000 Olympics with a persona ...
, Former Australian Olympian (long jump)
*
Sigrid Thornton
Sigrid Madeline Thornton (born 12 February 1959) is an Australian film and television actress. Her television work includes '' Prisoner'' (1979–80), '' All the Rivers Run'' (1983), '' SeaChange'' (1998–2019) and '' Wentworth'' (2016–2018 ...
, Australian actress
*
Mark Webber, Formula One Driver,
2015 FIA World Endurance Champion
Women's team
References
External links
Official Sites
Raiders Official Web PageNRL Official Site on RaidersRaiders Leagues Club
Statistics & Information Sites
{{Canberra Sports Teams
Rai
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
Rugby clubs established in 1981
1981 establishments in Australia
National Rugby League clubs
Rugby league teams in the Australian Capital Territory
Viking Age in popular culture
NRL Women's Premiership clubs