To paraphrase former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, any boss who sacks anyone for leaving work early to watch the Canberra Raiders on Friday is a bum.
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The Raiders have the early timeslot against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and players have issued a call to arms for fans to knock off work early on Friday to catch the 6pm kickoff at Canberra Stadium.
For any bosses that might have a problem with it, Raiders bench forward Luke Bateman has a simple solution - "start half an hour early and finish half an hour early".
The 6pm timeslot has caused some angst in Sydney but Bateman hopes it won't be too much of an issue as the Raiders look to build on their 2017 home crowd average of over 15,513.
The Raiders are surging and are on track for their biggest home crowd average since 1995, and Bateman says the players can feel the excitement in the air at home games.
"Even when you're warming up, when we used to warm up there there was big spots missing in the crowd and they'd fill in as the game came on," Bateman said.
"But even when we're warming up now it's pretty filled in. We can definitely hear it and definitely know the crowd's behind us so it's been good."
Manly are one of just three clubs with a winning record (57.14 per cent) at Canberra Stadium and ended the Raiders' finals hopes at the venue in 2015.
It is a game that will still be fresh in the minds of the Raiders faithful, and the controversial defeat was the last of Manly's five-match winning streak spanning 11 seasons in the capital.
Melbourne (63.16 per cent) are the only visiting team with a better record in Canberra than the Sea Eagles, with the Raiders obviously boasting the best record (65.63 per cent).
Manly even had a winning record at Seiffert Oval, but there they were one of six clubs boasting a win percentage of over 50 per cent.
The Raiders are keen to be the only NRL club with a winning record at Canberra Stadium and have dropped just four of their last 17 home games.
"I think we really enjoy playing at home, it's not so much making a point of us not losing at home, it's more the fact that we just really enjoy playing at home," Bateman said.
"We love the ground and we get a relaxed lead into the week and we don't have to go away anywhere, so the boys really enjoy playing at home and it shows in our footy and in our wins."
Canberra fans are being urged to get on board the Green Machine on Friday night with the clash being the club's last home game for over a month.
NRL ROUND EIGHT
Friday: Canberra Raiders v Manly Sea Eagles at Canberra Stadium, 6pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
