Deep underneath the Canberra Stadium stands, long after the Bobby Valetini express steamrolled the hapless Waratahs but before Xavier Savage shimmied his way past the Eels, there was a moment of pure joy.
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A young fan waiting patiently down in autograph alley caught his first glimpse of Raiders players walking towards him. By the time Pasami Saulo bent down to say hello, he was in complete awe.
"You're my favourite," he said in the sweetest, most innocent voice as he held out his Raiders jersey.
Let's clear up a couple of things first. Yes - he said that to Pasami Saulo - the bench forward (watch the video below if you don't believe me). Not Josh Papali'i, Joe Tapine, Jamal Fogarty, Jordan Rapana, Ethan Strange, Matt Timoko or even Savage.
And no - he didn't need a gas mask because the stench Ricky Stuart and the Raiders complained about three weeks ago was gone.
Many woke on Monday morning feeling like that starry-eyed kid after a weekend of perhaps the best, and most comprehensive, wins for the Brumbies and Raiders in recent memory.
Those moments - the Brumbies beating the Waratahs 40-16 and then the Raiders demolishing the Eels 41-8 - are the kind that give you an extra spring in your step when you have to combat Mondayitis.
They are also the moments that have been few and far between for Canberra sporting fans over the past 20 years or so. When one team is up, the other is usually down and when neither is up, the goal posts are wonky.
And while neither code likes to admit it, they do have a soft spot for their cross-town, cross-code rivals when they're running on to Canberra Stadium. So when you get a thumping double against two bitter rivals in less than 24 hours, you need to savour it.
Brumbies fans are rightly asking themselves if they've finally got a team to break the New Zealand curse. Despite some early stumbles, the past three weeks have proven the Brumbies are still Australia's best team. By a long way.
Raiders supporters - known for riding the highs and lows harder than most - have endured all the feelings in the first five weeks of the competition. Two early wins sparked optimism for a young side, one loss to the Warriors brought them back to earth, another loss to the Sharks saw them crash through the floor and a win against the Eels put them back up in the "how bloody good are we!" stratosphere.
So how bloody good are they?
Let's start with the Brumbies. They have Wallabies in almost every position and have won the past three games despite being without Len Ikitau, Allan Alaalatoa, Blake Schoupp and Andy Muirhead.
With Valetini steam-rolling defenders like he did to Tane Edmed on Saturday night, and then Corey Toole tip-toeing down the sideline with Usain Bolt speed, it's hard to argue against their title credentials.
The test, however, is yet to come. The Auckland Blues and the Wellington Hurricanes - the top two New Zealand teams - after a bye this weekend will give us a true indication about the team's hopes of winning its first trans-Tasman title in 20 years.
The Raiders - well, at least their supporters - are treading a little more cautiously even if they did do the Savage shimmy as they walked out of the stadium on a wet Sunday evening.
They know their team is at the beginning (at least they hope it's the beginning) of a journey with Ethan Strange and Savage to lead the next generation. At the same time, they know all too well the Raiders can make you like angry Ricky Stuart one week ("We were embarrassing ... awful ... dismal ... there wasn't a player in our team that was solid, don't be giving praise to people who don't deserve it") to proud ("I know what they can do ... happy to give them a rap this week) in the space of seven days.
While it's a lot of the same from last year, it's so different in terms of experience. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because the overhaul has signalled a changing of the guard.
Even so it's hard to know where they stand. They've won one of three games against top-eight opponents so far this year, but made light work of the teams below them (the Eels and Tigers).
The biggest difference, though, is the way they're winning. Their three wins have been by an average of 23 points. Their smallest win - 16 points - was bigger than any of the 13 wins they had last year. Still not convinced? Hold on while I blow the lid off this.
Just 10 per cent - yes, 10 per cent - of the Raiders' wins over the past 15 years have been by 19 points or more. Sure, they're not perfect and we're only five games into the NRL (and seven into Super Rugby) but after years of COVID and rising grocery and house prices, everyone deserves to feel the same pure joy as the kid in autograph alley. At least for this moment.