There was no fairytale finale, but Terry Campese was still able to walk from Seiffert Oval with a smile on his face on Sunday afternoon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
In fact, he didn't walk from the field, the Queanbeyan Blues captain-coach was carried from the ground by his adoring teammates.
The moment capped a remarkable two-decade career that saw Campese turn out for the Canberra Raiders, NSW and Australia before returning to lead the Blues in the Canberra Raiders Cup.
The 38-year-old's body started to break down in 2022, but that did not stop him from claiming the Les McIntyre Medal as the competition's best player while leading his club to the grand final, which the Blues lost 38-24 to West Belconnen Warriors.
Campese was disappointed with the result, but remained proud of everything he had achieved throughout his career.
"I've been ready for a few years," Campese said.
"COVID put a halt to hanging up the boots a little bit earlier. I couldn't be prouder, I've thoroughly enjoyed my career. I want to thank rugby league for everything I've got as a person, as a human. There's plenty more to come in the future, just not running out there."
Having cut his teeth coaching the Blues, Campese was eager to progress his career with the clipboard.
The veteran was grateful for everything Queanbeyan had done for him. He was looking forward to giving back to the town in the years to come.
MORE RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS:
"I've wanted to be involved in coaching for a long time," Campese said.
"I still love the game, hopefully there's a [coaching] opportunity around the corner," he said.
AT A GLANCE
Canberra Raiders Cup: WEST BELCONNEN WARRIORS 38 (William Peace 3, Kylan Edwards, Ryan McQueen, Arthur Brown, Tim Middleton tries; Bobby Roberts 5 goals) bt QUEANBEYAN BLUES 24 (Joshua Baker 2, Tristan Eldridge, Atunaisa Tupou tries; Terry Campese 4 goals).
Reserve grade: Queanbeyan Kangaroos 24 bt Gungahlin Bulls 22.
Under-19s: Queanbeyan Blues 18 bt Gungahlin Bulls 16.
Ladies' league tag: Woden Valley Rams 14 bt West Belconnen Warriors 4.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
