The Brumbies versus the Force earlier in the 2025 season at Canberra Stadium. Photo: Jennifer Andrew.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, during and after the Super League war, the Brumbies were the talk of the city, drawing capacity crowds, while the Raiders struggled to regain lost ground.
I well remember receiving multiple calls from people connected to the Raiders complaining about the coverage given to the Brumbies as the Raiders battled for airtime.
From my perspective, it was acrimonious from a Raiders perspective, while the Brumbies just forged ahead.
Now, times have dramatically changed, with the Raiders surging ahead in popularity as the Brumbies, despite working hard to reconnect with the community, are finding it difficult to attract an audience.
And 25 years ago, you would have been shouted down had you suggested the Raiders and the Brumbies would be joining forces to fight a common threat, the AFL.
In what is the most congested weekend in Canberra sport for some time, the Raiders, the Brumbies and GWS are all playing games in Canberra.
Canberra Raiders fans are ready to support their team. Photo: Jaye Grieshaber.
On Saturday night at Canberra Stadium, the third-placed Brumbies take on the seventh-placed Hurricanes in a contest between two sides featuring in some of the greatest Super Rugby games in history.
At the same time, at Manuka Oval, the fourth-placed GWS take on the eighth-placed Western Bulldogs.
Then on Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock at Canberra Stadium, the third-placed Raiders face the Dolphins.
Why the AFL was given the go-ahead to play in Canberra at the same time as the Brumbies is beyond me, given the AFL draw came out after the Super Rugby schedule.
In a bid to secure their foothold in the ACT, the Brumbies and the Raiders have joined forces with a two-for-one ticket deal.
The Brumbies would hope for a crowd of over 10,000, while the AFL is expected to attract over 12,000, given the popularity of the Western Bulldogs.
On Sunday afternoon, the Raiders would be looking for a crowd in excess of 17,000 with Canberra on a winning streak.
It will be hard to gauge too much out of the weekend, but it will be fascinating to see whether rusted-on rugby league fans turn out to see the Brumbies and staunch rugby supporters flock to Canberra Stadium on Sunday.
To add to the magnitude of the Anzac Day weekend, at the same time the Raiders are playing, Canberra United is taking on the Central Coast Mariners in the W-League elimination final in Gosford.
It’s a remarkable effort to get to this point with so much speculation about the club’s future for much of the season.
Visit Ticketek for tickets to the ACT Brumbies x Canberra Raiders and GWS. Canberra United tickets are available from TicketSearch.
