Air Raiders: Why NRL leaders are splashing cash on charter flights

Canberra have ramped up their premiership preparations by booking a charter plane so they can leave Mudgee straight after Friday night’s clash with the Panthers to ensure their players are asleep in their own beds by midnight.

The Raiders have already done their fair share of travelling this season – they played in Las Vegas, Townsville, Darwin and the Gold Coast in the opening seven rounds – and club officials did not want players completing a five-hour bus trip home on Friday night.

Another alternative was to take a commercial flight, but any trip to and from the state’s central west would have involved a stop-over in Sydney.

Raiders chief executive Don Furner, who will not be on the 30-seat plane due to numbers – he drove the gear truck north on Thursday instead – said anything that could help the players stay fresh at this time of year was priceless.

The NRL normally pays for all commercial flights for teams and clubs must cover any difference if they choose an alternative form of travel. As a result, the hit-and-run trip to Mudgee will cost the Raiders no more than $5000, which is included in their football department cap.

Even though the Raiders are fresh off the bye, and sitting on top of the ladder, they will start outsiders against the Panthers at a sold-out Glen Willow Regional Sports Stadium.

“The charter flights might cost us a little more, but what price can you place on the convenience of the boys getting home at a reasonable hour?” Furner said.

“Twenty years ago this would have been a six-hour bus trip there and [six hours] back. Canberra to Sydney, we get the bus, and the boys love it because they play cards and avoid the airports.

“But Mudgee is just that little bit too far.

“We don’t do it often, but when we charter a plane, it makes a big difference. The limit on this plane was just over 3000kg. I joked with ‘Sticky’ [coach Ricky Stuart] how we should bump ‘Papa’ [Josh Papalii] off the plane, [then] we could have got myself and another staffer on there. It wasn’t to be.”

The Panthers have been in town all week promoting the NRL and the clash with the Raiders, including a visit to a school where Isaah Yeo’s father, Justin, is an assistant principal. Justin confirmed the family had requested up to 40 tickets to watch Isaah, who is expected to return from a shoulder injury.

One student, Reuben, who is in Year 4, stripped down to a Raiders jersey while walking past the Panthers players (pictured above), with the footage uploaded to Penrith’s Instagram account. Furner said club officials had contacted Reuben’s family and arranged to have him in the sheds after the game. Reuben’s dad loves the Raiders, and listed Canberra legend Ruben Wiki among his favourites, even though his son’s name is spelled differently.

Canberra host Wests Tigers next Saturday, while Penrith, who will also exit Mudgee late Friday on a bus, have the short turnaround against the Bulldogs.

Yeo completed Wednesday night’s main session, and was seen running with the side at Thursday’s captain’s run. He told local reporters during the week he was hopeful of playing after missing the loss to Melbourne, and the win before that against Newcastle.

NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now