JOEL Monaghan played on the wing, Alan Tongue came off the bench and Brett Finch was wearing green the last time the Raiders defeated the Melbourne Storm in Canberra
It's been almost seven long years since the Raiders thrilled the 10,000strong home crowd to defeat the Storm 2516 in round 26 of the 2002 NRL premiership.
The Raiders started the game $1.40 favourites and the win helped them sneak into eighth place and a finals berth, eventually being knocked out by grand finalists Auckland Warriors in the first-round of the final series.
Enter Craig Bellamy, a former Raiders player and member of the coaching staff, who took over as Melbourne coach in 2003.
Since Bellamy's appointment the Storm has dominated the Raiders, winning their last 14 encounters.
The connections between the clubs is unmistakable, with Bellamy playing his last season of first grade as a teammate of then rookie and now Raiders coach David Furner.
Bellamy sharpened his coaching craft at Canberra as a President Cup coach from 1993-95, reserve grade coach in 1996, and Raiders assistant coach in 1997 before becoming Brisbane Broncos assistant coach in 1998.
For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times
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