Canberra Raiders set to honour 1989 triumph at Hall of Fame dinner

Now all Steve Walters and his fellow members of the Canberra Raiders' golden era just have to work out which moment they're going to relive from that fateful day in 1989.

Is it Mal Meninga pulling off the ankle tap on Balmain livewire Mick Neil? Is it Benny Elias' field goal rattling the crossbar? Or Chris O'Sullivan making his shot count?

Surely it's that Steve Jackson try? Or even the post-match soiree thrown by the late Prime Minister Bob Hawke at The Lodge?

"I don't know, my favourite is still when Chicka dives over to score to take it to extra time," Walters said of John Ferguson's famous four-pointer.

The image is unforgettable. Ferguson's head poking out at the bottom of a mass of bodies, Laurie Daley leaping into the air with his arm outstretched, a dejected Kevin Hardwick with hands on hips.

"He's the man, old Chicka, he's a gun mate. He's pretty light on his feet, you're doing well if you can get a hold of him," Walters said.

That is just what the Raiders of today are hoping to do ahead of the club's first Hall of Fame dinner at the National Convention Centre on Friday, July 19.

The night coincides with the 30^th anniversary of the club's maiden premiership and lands the day before the Raiders host the Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium.

Walters was among 14 club greats inducted into the Raiders Hall of Fame at the club's season launch earlier this year - and it is a star-studded list indeed.

Think Meninga, Ricky Stuart, Laurie Daley, Gary Belcher, Bradley Clyde, Gary Coyne, Ashley Gilbert, Dean Lance, Glenn Lazarus, O'Sullivan, Brent Todd, former coach Tim Sheens, and of course "Chicka" Ferguson.

Many of those names are set to attend - as are some of their Balmain counterparts and today's Raiders, with event proceeds to be donated to the Ricky Stuart Foundation.

And now a handful of new faces could join them as the next wave of Hall of Fame inductees.

Many of those Raiders greats will never pass on a chance to reminisce on one of rugby league's greatest grand finals, and for Walters at least, opportunities come thick and fast.

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"I bump into a few of them a little bit," Walters said.

As he continues, "a little bit" seems to be quite an understatement.

"I see Mal around quite a bit, Gary Belcher, I occasionally bump into Dean Lance, I see Laurie, Ricky and Clydey a little bit, so most of them I bump into semi-regularly," Walters said.

"The fellas I've spoken to are all going, so I think it will be a pretty good roll up. At the season launch, most of them said they were coming back for that one so I'm sure they'll get a good roll up from all the players.

"I might be a bit biased but the club has always been really good, inviting you to things. It'll be a good night for everyone, not only the club but the people, the supporters that are a little bit older that remember those times.

"It's always nice to catch up, it brings back good memories doesn't it, both for the players and the supporters. It should be a great night."

But not only is it a night for the Raiders of old to rekindle memories of the glory days - it is a chance for them to reconnect with their modern day counterparts.

A chance for two of rugby league's finest rakes in Ipswich-born Walters and Hull product Josh Hodgson to chew the fat.

A chance for Gary Belcher and Mal Meninga to spin yarns of yesteryear with Elliott Whitehead, John Bateman and Ryan Sutton.

Sensing a trend? An influx of Queenslanders helped the Green Machine to lay the platform for a golden era, one which eventually spawned one of the greatest club teams in history.

Today, Canberra's raids on the English Super League have seen the club pluck out some of the NRL's best players.

Hodgson has long been regarded as one of the game's best hookers. Whitehead one of the most versatile and consistent back-rowers.

The addition of Bateman - widely regarded as one of the NRL's buys of the year - and his former Wigan teammate Sutton, has helped Canberra transform from also-rans to contenders.

"It's funny you say that, there's a lot of similarities there," Walters said.

"A lot of the players they bought are really good, professional tough players. From the outside, they seem to have fitted into living in Canberra really well, so it's great to see. They've been good buys for the club.

"Wherever they come from, England, Queensland, NSW, Fiji, or New Zealand, it doesn't really matter.

"If they're a good fella and they're a good player, you want them at your club.

"It's great, it's really exciting for all the players [to see the Raiders in the top four]. They're having a good season, really putting in, and it's pleasing to see them doing well so far.

"You're just trying to position yourself so you can give yourself a good crack at the end of the year, and that's exactly what they're doing."