At Raiders headquarters in Bruce on Tuesday afternoon some of the heaviest hitters in Canberra business and industry passed a motion on the toughest decision in the club's 32-season history.
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After an hour of robust discussion, voices wavered with emotion before board members took a moment to compose themselves.
The decision to sack coach David Furner was unanimous.
This was just the first step. There is promise of more big decisions to come.
The biggest, of course, will be who replaces Furner, the first coach sacked in Raiders history.
For although potential candidates will now line up like ballot card bearers on voting day, the Raiders board made this momentous decision without a replacement at the ready.
It was a major sticking point in the board's discussion, as was tarnishing the legend of the man at the centre of their debate.
By sacking Furner they were potentially harming the legacy of a man who had bled green like no other. The son of the inaugural coach. A ballboy. A 200-game veteran as a player. A premiership winner. A coach of five years, with another season to run on his contract.
But on Tuesday morning, after three consecutive losses, the Raiders board of nine members spread the word by phone. An urgent meeting was required, that afternoon at 3.30. All attended, bar one, who was included via conference call.
The board has publicly insisted the decision to sack Furner was solely theirs, based more on poor results and failure to reach the expectations required of their young and talented roster. It was the publicly stated position, partly because the board does not want players thinking they hold the balance of power at the club.
But, be assured, board members were also informed with feedback from disgruntled players and their managers.
It was maybe not presented in the form of a nine-player revolt, as has been suggested in some media. But definitely the whispers in the players' change room had reached them.
The board weighed that information up with endorsements of Furner's coaching credentials, including the support of veteran Australian Kangaroos coach and three-time Raiders premiership winner Tim Sheens.
Not everyone's mind was made up at the start of the meeting but everyone was agreed by the end. Furner would be sacked, immediately, and the rest of his contract paid to him.
Despite the urgency of the meeting, this was no rash decision.
While Furner was genuinely shocked by the timing of it - three games out from a finals series his team could still qualify for - he was under no illusions his job had been on the line.
The Raiders have denied it but last year they approached former Raiders legend and now Parramatta coach Ricky Stuart to coach.
Negotiations progressed behind the scenes but, in the end, the Raiders could not reach Stuart's asking price nor the football department funds he wanted.
Knowing that Furner was privately dealing with his wife Kellie's breast cancer last year too, the board discussed other contingency plans.
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy, a foundation Raiders player, came up. Sheens was mentioned too, perhaps as a coaching overseer for Furner.
In the end the club persisted with Furner, they asked him what he
needed in place to succeed and the Raiders got to the finals with a spectacular late-season charge.
As has been the case over his coaching tenure, Furner could not maintain consistency this year, which has been turbulent to say the least. Furner has expressed his desire to continue coaching. The Raiders board would love to consider him in some other capacity at the club, such is his status. Furner may be too proud for that.
The board discussed too whether to hold fire, complete the season and then let Furner down. It was decided that it should be dealt with immediately, rather than prolong it.
Furner had coached the Raiders at a cut-price by NRL standards. It is suggested his contract was less than $300,000. He was driven by loyalty, not the pay. But the Raiders will not be able to cut corners if they are to find a coach capable of achieving the success they desire. They have initiated change, made one of the biggest calls in the club's history, now it is up to them to follow through.
