CANBERRA - Five weeks ago, Canberra great Alan Tongue took to the radio to declare the Raiders' NRL finals campaign dead should they fail to post victory over Newcastle on home soil.
They lost 36-6.
And so the club veteran called it: the Raiders would be playoffs absentees for the third time in four years under embattled coach David Furner.
But four games on and it's a very different story, with the Raiders seventh on the ladder and even poised to clinch what was once an unthinkable home semi-final.