Three club legends were close to tears, Ferguson making a surprise return to his old stomping ground and he got a perfect gift almost exactly 30 years since he jinked his way over the line to score that famous grand final try.

But after so many years of heartbreak and disappointment, these were happy tears.

Tongue stood silently when the sell-out crowd erupted, taking time to soak in the moment before the retired cult hero was mobbed.

It meant just as much to Tongue as it did to Ricky Stuart, who hugged his players before Sia Soliola led an impromptu Viking clap 10 minutes after the Canberra Raiders ended a 25-year drought on Friday night.

Almost all of the 26,567 fans waited for Soliola to start beating the drum and the lime green passion echoed around the capital.

The Raiders are on their way to their first grand final since 1994 and they have united a city along the way.

The Raiders are back. They're genuine contenders. And they've grown up, shedding the shackles of a lean period since the end of their golden era in the 1990s.

"I always thought it was possible," said Jarrod Croker in the change rooms surrounded by a crowd just as big as the one that packed the stands.

"But it still hasn't sunk in. Canberra fans were off their heads this week and I hope they do it again. Because we're going to enjoy it. Everything's green ... we love it."

The Raiders beat South Sydney 16-10 at Canberra Stadium on Friday night, breaking a longstanding drought in the process.

They will play either the Sydney Roosters or the Melbourne Storm in Sydney next weekend for the chance to win a premiership many thought was impossible.

Why was it impossible? Because the old Raiders would have wilted long ago.

The old Raiders would have been caught up in the rumble of a near record crowd, or felt the weight of the city.

But these are the grown-up Raiders. You can tell that by the colour of their jerseys - a mature shade of 1989 green instead of the eye-catching lime of recent times.

You knew that things were different, even when Joey Leiliua was full of jumping beans and made a couple of early errors.

Or when Jack Wighton put a second-half dropout out on the full. Or when the reliable Jarrod Croker missed kicks he would normally nail in his sleep.

Then came the blow that should have been fatal. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad sent to the sin bin with eight minutes to go.

It was an invitation for the Rabbitohs to win. But the new steely Raiders never go away, and they're ready to shock the NRL.