![Raiders NRLW players sing the team song in the changerooms. Picture Raiders Media Raiders NRLW players sing the team song in the changerooms. Picture Raiders Media](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/69ad8133-9cbc-4050-b544-f623ec9abe5b.png/r0_0_636_377_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Fearsome men from the ACT, don't try and stop these men in green."
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They're the two lines in the chorus of The Mighty Green Machine that blares from the speakers at Canberra Stadium when the Raiders NRLW team run out pre-game, and when they claim a win at Bruce.
There's no doubt it's a banger, but the reference to "men" is obviously jarring to hear when celebrating the women's team.
The club is not ignorant to the contradicting lyrics - with the board also reviewing the bearded Viking logo in pre-season - but Raiders coach Darrin Borthwick said it's not an issue at all.
"We've actually spoken about it as a group," Borthwick told The Canberra Times.
"That song's been around for quite some time, and maybe there will be change in the future, but we've spoken to the group and the girls are still happy to run out to that song.
"When it comes time to reword it, or whatever we need to do, we'll look at that. But at the moment, with the Viking clap and song, they're just happy to run out to that."
The song which emerged out of the 1980s, was commissioned to hype up the "Green Machine" moniker, and create a more "rousing" anthem, and it certainly achieved that.
It actually replaced an original, more old-timey number We Are the Canberra Raiders, which was played after all four wins at Seiffert Oval in the club's first season in 1982.
![The Raiders NRLW team run out at Canberra Stadium. Picture by Elesa Kurtz The Raiders NRLW team run out at Canberra Stadium. Picture by Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/759707c0-2dab-4266-b8fd-93894ff7c691.jpg/r0_0_5467_3292_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Borthwick said outside-back Mackenzie Wiki and prop Kerehitina Matua are both good singers that could re-record The Mighty Green Machine song with updated lyrics, but his focus is more on how the team perform in the NRLW.
"Maybe they could, I just want them to play good footy," he said, amused.
The NRLW team have taken more licence with the post-game victory song, changing the lyrics of "boys" and "men", to "girls".
Co-captain Zahara Temara leads the squad in the victory song, which they've also added their own spin on compared to the NRL team, adding the line, "the Raiders are having a party and the [opposition] are in the bin".
The Raiders women will be hoping to shout out the victory song on Saturday when they take on St George Illawarra Dragons at Wollongong in round four.
NRLW Round Four
St George Illawarra Dragons v Canberra Raiders at Wollongong, Saturday 11am
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