The top 10 stories that shaped Canberra sport in 2019

There was plenty of finals fever, with the Canberra Raiders ending a long-standing grand final drought, the Canberra Capitals winning another title and the ACT Brumbies falling short in the semi-finals.

Ultimately the year will be remembered for a colour: green. The Raiders dominated the year, mostly for good reasons. But the way it all finished will give their fans, and probably players, plenty of sleepless nights in 2020.

With that, The Canberra Times sports team reflect on the 10 biggest stories that defined sport in the capital over the past 12 months.

'Six again' are two words Canberrans never want to hear again.

Referee Ben Cummins' call has led to a change in the NRL rule book and turned into a Christmas jingle, but will always leave a sour note for Canberra Raiders fans.

The Green Machine was on the verge of a fairytale finish in the grand final until their premiership dream was cruelly snatched away in the 73^rd minute.

Raiders fans were left fuming while players were left devastated when playmaker Jack Wighton was brought down on the last tackle in a crucial stage in their 14-8 loss to the Sydney Roosters.

Wighton saw the signal. We all saw the signal. Cummins waved six again before changing the call to 'last tackle' midway through a play.

The Roosters regained possession, scored the decisive try just two plays later and the rest is history.

A captain's challenge now has the power to rid the NRL of the controversy that overshadowed its showpiece event. Six again? Never again.

Canberra Stadium shook with the sound of Sia Soliola leading more than 26,500 fans in an impromptu Viking Clap, signalling the end to the Raiders' 25-year grand final drought.

Victor the Viking lost his head with joy. There were hugs, tears and beer showers as a near-record crowd witnessed the Raiders reach their first premiership decider since 1994.

The Green Machine finished fourth on the ladder but beat minor premiers the Melbourne Storm and the South Sydney Rabbitohs en route to the decider.

Their rise to the league's biggest stage captured the city in a way no one thought they could.

The territory turned lime green as Raiders mayhem hit new levels. Baristas made green coffees and breweries sold green beer. Green sausages on green bread went viral, while green water fountains and monuments were dotted across the capital.

Thousands of fans lined up to watch the Raiders' final home training session and waved off the Viking Horn as it travelled up the Hume Highway to Stadium Australia.

And that's just to briefly paint the picture. It's only fitting the Raiders take out The Canberra Times' top two sporting moments of 2019 because they truly captured the heart of the city.

And the exciting part? They're only just starting their journey.

More than 30,000 fans filed into Manuka Oval and powered through 300 kegs of beer as they witnessed 90 years of history in the making.

Manuka Oval became the nation's 11th Test venue when Australia demoralised Sri Lanka with a 366-run win in February.

Canberra's first taste of Test cricket was hailed a success as the capital claimed the first sell-out of the summer.

The capital quickly became a happy hunting ground for the Australian Test side, with captain Tim Paine dubbing Manuka Oval as a "brilliant Test wicket".

First came the star-studded roster, then came a steamrolling run to the finals, sell-out crowds and the biggest achievement of all: a record eighth WNBL championship.

The Canberra Capitals thrashed the Adelaide Lightning 93-73 in the championship decider to win their first title since the 2010-11 season.

It capped a remarkable transformation from the side which lost 13 straight matches in the previous season, with coach Paul Goriss determined to put the club back where it belonged.

The Capitals invested in key signings with Kelsey Griffin, Leilani Mitchell, Kia Nurse and Kelly Wilson hitting their straps at the business end of the season, but anyone in their inner sanctum will tell you the championship was built on character.

A character which is looking to go even bigger this season.

Two captains. Two comebacks. Two retirements. One city.

All good things must come to an end. The ACT Brumbies' inspirational skipper Christian Lealiifano and champion flanker David Pocock called time on their Super Rugby careers, joining a mass exodus of departing stars.

Lealiifano decided to end his decorated Brumbies career with a move to Japanese franchise NTT Communications, just two years after he made a remarkable comeback from leukaemia.

He announced his move to Japan rugby just weeks after Pocock confirmed he had played his last match for the Super Rugby club.

An ongoing calf injury ruled him out for the rest of the season, ending his Super Rugby career prematurely.

Both Lealiifano and Pocock were named in Michael Cheika's squad for the Rugby World Cup, ending their Australian careers in the green and gold.

The Brumbies face an enormous task to prepare for life after Lealiifano, Pocock, Henry Speight, Sam Carter, Rory Arnold and Josh Mann-Rea.

But their absence will give a chance for the next generation of Super Rugby stars to lead the Brumbies into a new era.

"To see 66 and jump into first place my head was spinning a bit."

She saved her best until last but a clutch 66.56-metre effort saw Canberra's Kelsey-Lee Barber become Australia's newest world champion.

The 28-year-old claimed the women's javelin gold medal in dramatic style at the 2019 world championships, moving from fourth place to first in her sixth and final throw.

Barber won Canberra's female athlete of the year prize last month, a fitting recognition for becoming just Australia's ninth athletic world champion in Doha in October.

Next year she is aiming to become the first Australian to win Olympic javelin gold, and the first to stand on the podium since 1996.

A landmark three-way deal saw the Socceroos return to the capital but led to the ACT government withdrawing its support from Australia's 2023 Women's World Cup bid.

Football Federation Australia and New Zealand Football submitted a joint bid to host the World Cup in December but Canberra will not be one of the hosting cities if their proposal is successful.

The government officially terminated negotiations after almost two years of considering the proposal due to concerns over costs and scheduling clashes.

It comes after a landmark three-way deal was struck to build a $24.5 million soccer facility at Throsby and secure more regular internationals.

The Socceroos played their first game in Canberra since 2015 when they beat Nepal in October and the Matildas are expected to end a seven-year capital absence next year.

Canberra United star Karly Roestbakken made her international debut in the Matildas' group-stage win over Brazil at the World Cup in France.

Swearing, two smashed racquets and unsportsmanlike conduct landed Canberra tennis star Nick Kyrgios in hot water at the Cincinnati Masters in August.

But it was his comments at the US Open that would spark an even greater controversy.

Kyrgios is serving a six-month probation period after accusing ATP officials of being corrupt during a press conference at Flushing Meadows.

Having advanced to the second round at the grand slam, the tennis firebrand was asked about his $US113,000 ($167,000) fine for his meltdown in Cincinnati.

"ATP's pretty corrupt, anyway, so I'm not fussed about it at all," Kyrgios said.

The controversial Canberran backpedalled on his comments on Twitter, saying "it was not the correct choice of words" but rather what he sees as double standards.

It overshadowed a reasonable year for the enigmatic star. He did win two tournaments, one in Washington and the other Acapulco.

But we've come to expect a year in review with Kyrgios is more about what happens when the ball isn't being hit. Ahh Nick.

They call him the greatest off-spinner of all time, but Nathan Lyon added another accolade to his already illustrious career in 2019. Lyon surpassed Dennis Lillee's 355 Test wicket haul in August, with only Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563) ahead on the all-time Australian list.

The former ACT Comets captain holds 376 Test wickets heading into the second match of the three-Test series against New Zealand.

Nice one, Garry.

Jack Wighton and Nick Cotric broke Canberra's sky blue drought after making their State of Origin debuts for NSW in the series opener.

The duo became the first Raiders to earn selection since Blake Ferguson in 2013, with Wighton playing all three matches in the Blues' 15^th title.

Prop Josh Papalii went from Raiders teammate to Origin rival when he suited up for his seventh series with the Maroons.

The trio went on to be named in the Kangaroos' squad for the Oceania Cup, with Clive Churchill medallist Wighton and Cotric making their Australian debuts.