This was supposed to be the first stop of the bandwagon express. The night the Canberra Raiders announced themselves as as genuine threat this year.
The Raiders and their fans know the moment well - time running out in the regular season and needing to win to keep finals hopes alive.
But instead of gathering momentum, the Green Machine slipped on a miserable, rainy night in the capital and they're counting the costs on multiple fronts after a missed opportunity.