Canberra Raiders fans ready to support their team. Photo: Jayze Photography.
With the Raiders, Brumbies and GWS all playing in Canberra on the Anzac weekend next year, it is being viewed as a litmus test: which code is the most popular in the ACT?
The Giants take on the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, 26 April, at 7:35 pm. At the same time, the Brumbies face the Hurricanes across town at GIO.
The following day at Canberra Stadium, the Raiders take on the Dolphins.
The Giants will be banking on a full house against the Bulldogs with capacity at Manuka for comfortable viewing at around 13,500 people.
The Brumbies have struggled to secure a decent crowd in recent years, while the Raiders, depending on how they are travelling at the time, should get around 18,000.
In a bid to attract a crowd to Canberra Stadium for both the Raiders and the Brumbies, the two codes have joined forces and are offering a joint ticket so fans can attend both games.
The two codes have worked together on a number of campaigns, the most visible being a new stadium.
It hasn’t always been this way.
The Brumbies burst onto the scene in 1996, playing an attacking brand of rugby featuring the homegrown talents of Gregan, Larkham and Roff.
Fans flocked to Canberra Stadium, and within five years, crowds of 20,000-plus were common at Brumbies home games.
At the same time, the Raiders were grappling with the fallout from Super League, and disillusioned fans had turned their backs on the code and the team.
Many felt as though money had overtaken loyalty. That dismay was reflected in crowds or lack of crowds heading to Canberra Stadium.
Stories emerged of tickets being given away to get people to Raiders games.
At the same time, the Brumbies, with their breathtaking attack and success, emerged as the city’s favourite code.
It created some friction between the two codes, with plenty being said behind the scenes.
Of course, in recent times, the tables have completely turned, with the Raiders well and truly the team of choice. The Brumbies struggle to find support and battle to attract 10,000 fans to a game.
Now, with the two codes joining forces with a special one ticket for both games offer, it would appear as though hostilities are very much in the past as they prepare to take on a common foe.
It has to be said, though, that the Raiders probably don’t need the support of the Brumbies fans. The Brumbies, it would appear, could be the main beneficiaries of this deal.
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