Retiring Canberra captain Alan Tongue said he was overwhelmed by the support he received from Raiders fans in his final NRL home game in the nation's capital on Saturday night.

Despite a strong individual performance from Tongue, and the 30-year-old's first try of the season, the Raiders were edged out 19-18 by Penrith.

Hundreds of fans remained at the ground for up to an hour after fulltime to farewell their hero from Canberra Stadium.

"I'm just doing something I love and for so many people to be so appreciative of it, it blows me away," Tongue told reporters after the game.

Tongue's parents travelled from Tamworth in northern NSW to watch his farewell match, and he admitted having mixed feelings going into the emotion-charged game.

"I always thought it was going to be pretty emotional with kids and with all the family here but I needed to put it aside and focus on what I needed to do with the team," he said.

Tongue scored a crucial try just before halftime to put his team ahead.

He said it was almost in the same spot as where he scored his first try in first grade back in 2000 - coincidentally, that maiden four-pointer was also against Penrith.

But the Raiders were unable to send Tongue out a winner as they were outplayed by the Panthers in the second half.

"Just gutted at the end of the day because we didn't get the points," he said.

"The boys put in a lot of effort. There's no doubting that."

It was obvious how much enthusiasm the Tamworth junior still has for the game and for the green jumper.

And while the fairytale ending didn't go exactly to the script, Tongue insisted he was a lucky man.

"I've been so fortunate with all the support from all the fans ... It's just been great," he said.

"It was easy for me - I just did something that I loved. I enjoyed it too. So it's pretty special all round."

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