Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders entered the New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1982 as the fourteenth team to join the competition. Their debut match took place on the 6th of March 1982 against the Western Suburbs Magpies at Seiffert Oval in Queanbeyan. The Magpies won that first game by a score of 33, 4 in front of 6,769 fans. No team has conceded more tries in a single season than the Raiders did during their inaugural year. They earned only four wins throughout the entire 1982 campaign and finished with the wooden spoon. The club received nicknames like "Canberra Faders" and "Pine Lime Splices" due to frequent late-game collapses and their distinctive lime green and white colours. Peter McGrath scored the very first points for the franchise, tallying 41 points in his sole season with the team. Their first victory came in the eighth match of the season when they defeated Newtown 12, 11. Three additional wins followed, including a notable upset against then-competition leaders South Sydney. By 1983 the squad improved to nine wins but still struggled to win away from home. An away win early in 1984 hinted at better times ahead. That positive winning record of 13, 11 secured a playoff spot for fifth place against South Sydney. Canberra lost that playoff match 4, 23 and failed to reach the semi-finals. The following years brought regression with eight wins in 1985 and similarly disappointing results in 1986. A core group emerged during this period including Queensland trio Mal Meninga, Gary Belcher, Steve Walters, and John Ferguson who would shape the next decade.
The Raiders reached their maiden Grand Final in 1987 after finishing third on the minor rounds ladder. They lost their first finals match 25, 16 to Eastern Suburbs before rallying to defeat South Sydney 46, 12 and Easts again 32, 24 in the Preliminary Final. Laurie Daley, Peter Jackson, and Glenn Lazarus all made their debut for Canberra that year. The team went down 18, 8 to minor premiers Manly-Warringah in what was the last Grand Final played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. That match attracted an all-time record attendance of 50,201 fans which stood until 2019. Fullback Gary Belcher became the first Raider to lead the league in points scoring in 1988 with 218 points from ten tries and 89 goals. He also became the first ever fullback to lead the try scoring list when he crossed for seventeen tries in 1989. The club won its first premiership in 1989 after a nine-match winning streak started by a hard-fought 14, 10 win over Eastern Suburbs Roosters. Reserve forward Steve Jackson scored the winning try in extra time against Balmain after crashing through four Tigers defenders. The Raiders then traveled to England to play Widnes at Old Trafford in the World Club Challenge. They lost that match 30, 18 in front of 30,768 fans despite having Martin Offiah as their main strike weapon. The squad featured international players such as Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart, Glenn Lazarus, Bradley Clyde, Gary Belcher, Brett Mullins, and Steve Walters during this successful period. They reached five Grand Finals and won three premierships within eight years.
Trouble brewed in 1991 as the club was embroiled in salary cap hardships. Several players left the team including Glenn Lazarus, Brent Todd, David Barnhill, Nigel Gaffey, and Paul Martin. An average performance resulted with the Raiders missing the finals for the first time since 1986. David Furner, son of former coach Don Furner, started out in this year. Since their final premiership in 1994 which was a convincing win against Canterbury-Bankstown with some of the most spectacular tries ever seen in a grand final with the final score being 36, 12, Canberra have been unable to scale their previous heights. The next year they were one of several teams that joined the breakaway Super League competition. They lost in the preliminary final to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks before rejoining the newly formed National Rugby League. The Raiders' problems came to a head in the late 1990s when club legends Ricky Stuart and Bradley Clyde were forced out to accommodate players such as Brett Finch. Finch would leave the Canberra club soon after to play under Stuart who has since returned to be its head coach from 2014 onwards. At the beginning of the 2009 season the squad contained only four players who had played at representative level. Joel Monaghan and Terry Campese each represented the Australian side during the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Many fans believed the achievements of 2003 would be improved in following years but the Raiders finished a disappointing eighth in 2004.
The Raiders suffered from an exodus of experience throughout the 2000s often finishing just inside or outside the final eight. In 2003 they unexpectedly led the competition for most of the season before losing narrowly to Melbourne Storm in the opening finals game. Jason Croker, Simon Woolford, Clinton Schifcofske, Michael Hodgson, Jason Smith, and Adam Mogg all played their final games for the club on Saturday the 9th of September 2006. The round one finals series clash with the Bulldogs saw the Raiders defeated 30, 12 in slippery and muddy conditions at Telstra Stadium. Coach Neil Henry incurred a fine of $10,000 for questioning the impartiality of the referee after the round 19 clash. Star halfback Todd Carney and fullback Bronx Goodwin were 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. A slow start to the 2009 season saw the raiders lose to the tigers and the roosters but they won their next two matches with help from under 20s debutants Josh Dugan, Jarrod Croker, and Travis Waddell. They finished thirteenth despite wins against three of the top four teams. In 2014 Canberra hired Ricky Stuart as their new head coach who had large success with the team. They finished fifteenth that year narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon. 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 six rounds.
From 1982 until the end of 1989 the Raiders played their home games at Seiffert Oval located in Queanbeyan in New South Wales. They played their first game at the ground on the 6th of March 1982 against the Western Suburbs Magpies. 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. In 1990 the Canberra Raiders moved out of their original home and into the spacious Bruce Stadium which is located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport. The club has remained at Bruce Stadium ever since though it was later renamed Canberra Stadium then GIO Stadium due to current naming rights sponsorship. 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 in 2019. The club shares the ground with Super Rugby team the ACT Brumbies.
The Canberra Raiders' first coach was former Queensland and Australian representative player Don Furner 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. In 2022 Ricky Stuart became the longest-serving coach. Josh Papali'i has played the most games for the Raiders with 327 games as of August 2025 surpassing the prior record holder Jason Croker in Round 14 of the 2025 NRL season. Croker played 318 games between 1991 and 2006 and also holds the club's second all-time try-scoring record with 120. Jarrod Croker is Canberra's highest ever point scorer with 2374 points from 136 tries and 915 goals between 2009 and 2023. He 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. The club's largest ever winning margin was 68 points when they defeated the Parramatta Eels 68, 0 during the 1993 NSWRL season. Their worst loss was in the 2013 NRL season when the Melbourne Storm dealt a 4, 68 defeat. Canberra have won eleven consecutive games twice in 1990 and in 1995.
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Common questions
When did the Canberra Raiders enter the New South Wales Rugby Football League?
The Canberra Raiders entered the New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1982 as the fourteenth team to join the competition. Their debut match took place on the 6th of March 1982 against the Western Suburbs Magpies at Seiffert Oval in Queanbeyan.
Where did the Canberra Raiders play their home games from 1982 until 1989?
From 1982 until the end of 1989 the Canberra Raiders played their home games at Seiffert Oval located in Queanbeyan in New South Wales. Overall the club would play 98 games at Seiffert Oval winning 52 losing 45 with one drawn game.
Who was the first coach of the Canberra Raiders and when did they reach their first grand final?
The Canberra Raiders' first coach was former Queensland and Australian representative player Don Furner 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 Canberra Raiders reached their first grand final.
How many premierships have the Canberra Raiders won and in which years did they win them?
The Canberra Raiders won its first premiership in 1989 after a nine-match winning streak started by a hard-fought 14, 10 win over Eastern Suburbs Roosters. The club has won three premierships within eight years including a convincing win against Canterbury-Bankstown in 1994 which was their final premiership to date.
Which player holds the record for most games played for the Canberra Raiders as of August 2025?
Josh Papali'i has played the most games for the Canberra Raiders with 327 games as of August 2025 surpassing the prior record holder Jason Croker in Round 14 of the 2025 NRL season. Jason Croker played 318 games between 1991 and 2006 and also holds the club's second all-time try-scoring record with 120.