Almost 20,000 people jumped to their feet on a cold Canberra afternoon and started a trend that has redefined lime green passion.
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The Raiders celebrated their Viking clap anniversary on Wednesday, marking three years since introducing the pre-match build up for a clash against Parramatta in 2016.
Raiders officials were initially tentative about how the clap would be received or if fans would participate.
History shows they picked the perfect moment on that cold afternoon three years ago. It was an end of season game with the biggest regular-season crowd in six years and the Raiders were charging towards their highest ladder spot in 21 years.
Fast forward to the Green Machine's campaign this year and the anniversary week is eerily similar.
The Raiders will play against Manly on Sunday afternoon aiming to secure a top-four berth. The club is hoping to attract 20,000 fans to a regular-season game for the first time since 2010 and the team is enjoying its most consistent winning season in 16 years.
The Viking clap has played a major role in reinvigorating the Raiders' bandwagon machine over the past three years, giving supporters an extra reason to attend home games.
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It has become one of the main reasons Canberra crowd attendances have jumped in recent years.
The club averaged less than 10,000 people per home game in 2014 and 2015. That jumped to 12,183 in 2016 and is 14,477 every time the Raiders play in Canberra this year.
The average numbers for this season are already higher than any season since 1995 and could surge with two home games left before the finals.
The Viking clap idea was pinched from the Iceland soccer team, which pinched it from a Scottish soccer side.
The fan chant made worldwide headlines when almost one-third of Iceland's population participated in the Viking clap after the Euro 2016 soccer competition.
The Minnesota Vikings introduced it to the NFL in the United States with their "Skol chant".
The Raiders jumped on board not long after and the video of Canberra's inaugural chant has been viewed more than 250,000 times.
The clap was still a hit when the Raiders failed to fire in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, but is hitting new heights this year
Sia Soliola has started a trend of meeting travelling fans after winning away games and being the man to beat the drum while supporters raise their arms in triumph.
Fans of other teams have attempted to mock the Raiders, highlighted by former Cronulla hooker Michael Ennis taunting the Canberra crowd after a semi-final in 2016.
Ennis, ironically, is now part of the Raiders coaching staff as they chase a drought-breaking premiership.
The Raiders are third on the ladder, but need to beat Manly this week to keep a buffer in the battle for crucial top-four spots.
Just two points separates the Raiders, Manly, South Sydney and Parramatta with three games left before the finals.
The Raiders have a points differential buffer and should remain in third spot this week regardless of results in other matches.
They will be determined to finish in the top four to secure a double chance in the play-offs and the right to host at least one finals match in the coming weeks.
Canberra has finished in the top four on the ladder just five times since the club won its last premiership in 1994.
NRL ROUND 23
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm. Tickets from Ticketek.
Raiders squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Sia Soliola, 11. John Bateman, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Ryan Sutton. Interchange: 14. Bailey Simonsson, 15. Dunamis Lui, 16. Corey Horsburgh, 17. Hudson Young, 18. Sam Williams, 19. Siliva Havili, 20. Emre Guler, 21. Michael Oldfield.