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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Doug Dingwall, David Polkinghorne

Raiders fans savour match as virus casts doubt over season

Canberra Raiders fan Simon Tayoun waits for the crowds at Canberra Stadium on Friday. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

Diehard Canberra Raiders fan Simon Tayoun beat his drum on Friday wondering if it would fall silent after the club's season opener.

Question marks hung over the year's future NRL rounds after Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the COVID-19 outbreak meant organised, non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people shouldn't continue after Monday.

The announcement left Raiders fans in doubt about the next time they would see their team play.

Despite the uncertainty, and earlier questions about whether last night's match would go ahead, 10,600 showed up and savoured the victory over Gold Coast.

Mr Tayoun, a drummer for the Raiders attending every game despite living in Sydney, arrived at Canberra Stadium on Friday ready to make the most of his beloved team's clash with the Titans.

"I will bang the drum non-stop because maybe this is the last time [this year]," he said before the match.

"I love my team, I love the Raiders and I love Canberra."

He had already bought tickets to 12 home games and booked flights to away matches including one in Auckland next week. But his plans were in doubt.

"I don't know what's going on," Mr Tayoun said.

Paul Baxter, from Casey, was in a similar situation after buying season tickets.

"I guess that's a little disappointing, but them's the brakes, right? That's the way it is," Mr Baxter said.

"We've just got to listen to the experts and wait till it all blows over."

Mr Baxter was not worried about getting coronavirus at the match.

"There's only been one confirmed case in Canberra so far, so hopefully we don't see much of a spread," he said.

"I wash my hands, I cover my mouth when I cough and most people are pretty decent so I'm not worried at all."

Other fans who spoke to The Canberra Times on Friday night were not worried about catching coronavirus at the stadium.

Mikaela Pyne, from Flynn, said she was always going to attend.

"We take the precautions like everyone, wash our hands," she said.

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Gail Young, from Kaleen, had been coming to Raiders games for 30 years and said there was no question she would attend on Friday.

However she believed the announcement that the match would go ahead was left too late.

Raiders fan Conrad Farrell, known to many for his "Darth Raider" costume, was unsure whether to attend ahead of the match.

"There's a big part of me saying 'don't be a wuss' but there's a part of me saying 'don't be a dumbarse'," he said.

After discussing the risks with his wife, he decided to go but on Friday afternoon was considering not taking his children as a precaution for them.

Mr Farrell said he wasn't disappointed that NRL matches might be unsafe to attend this year.

The virus was killing people and others were having to self-isolate.

"When you put it in that perspective, I don't have much to complain about."

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