Locker Room: Canberra Raiders star Jack Wighton's name floated by Rugby Australia and ACT Brumbies

Forget the Dolphins or a $4 million offer from the Raiders, we hear there's a new player on the Jack Wighton contract bingo card - rugby union.

It was only a matter of time before rugby emerged as a Wighton option a week after Joseph Suaalii made the switch on a lucrative $1.6 million per season deal.

Word is Wighton wants a premiership to go with his million-dollar salary, and where's he most likely to get that? Probably the ACT Brumbies.

Our spies spotted Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan in Canberra this week. McLennan hasn't been shy about stoking the cross-code war, and said he had been talking to another high-profile NRL player after Suaalii made the jump.

We hear Wighton's name definitely came up in conversations with McLennan when he was in the capital for meetings at Brumbies HQ.

Wighton has the strong running game and hard-hitting defence the Wallabies need to strengthen their midfield as an inside centre recruit.

But could rugby union afford Wighton? If they're willing to lay down the cash they gave Suaalii, then they're in the mix.

Secondly - would Wighton be keen? Probably not. Wighton's a league man through and through and making the transition to a new game at 30 would be near impossible.

We checked if Rugby Australia or the Brumbies would seriously consider a play for Wighton and while Eddie Jones is keen for a rugby league raid, it seems the Raiders' playmaker isn't at the top of the list.

What about the players going the other way - from rugby to the NRL? We did notice a keen Raiders fan floating the prospect of Brumbies' No. 10 Noah Lolesio swapping codes after he was left out of the Wallabies squad.

Speaking of surprise visitors at the Brumbies, we spotted another one this week: Ben Mowen.

The former Brumbies and Wallabies captain was on the field in Canberra this week and was with the team for the trip to Brisbane.

Mowen is expected to join the Brumbies' coaching staff next year to strengthen what is already an impressive team under leader Stephen Larkham.

The Raiders need a lucky gem to turn things around this year and they turned to another coach for insights last week.

The Raiders opened the doors for Australian Opals coach Sandy Brondello to come behind the scenes for training and coaches meetings before the ill-fated clash against the Panthers.

Brondello told us she was there as an observer, but was also happy to pass on tips from her days as an Opals star and as a coach in the WNBA.

"I was a Raiders fan back in the day as well," Brondello said. "Ricky Stuart, Mal Meninga. I got to meet Glenn Lazarus as well.

"I was very grateful for the time Ricky gave me and I like to give back as well when people want to come in and observe when I'm coaching.

"It was just good picking their brains about different situations and how they did things. I'll steal some ideas. But most of all they were great human beings."

The Opals have finished a week-long camp at the AIS. Brondello is weighing up selection choices for the Asia Cup. We hear Capitals skipper Jade Melbourne will be picked if she isn't getting regular minutes in the WNBA, while Keely Froling is also in the mix.

It was great to see Cricket Australia come to the party for female athletes this week with a new pay deal. For those who missed it, ACT Meteors players will earn at least $60,000 for 12 games in the WNCL season.

We did some number crunching, and it means the lowest-paid Meteor will earn more than the lowest-paid Raider (man or woman), Brumby, Capital, or Canberra United player.

Here's how the per-game numbers stack up based on minimum wages for each code before taking into account match fees or bonuses.

Meteors: $5000; Raiders men: $4800; Brumbies men: $4375; Raiders women: $3333; Canberra United: $1388; Capitals: $682.

Just about everyone in Canberra wants to see the Raiders win for Jarrod Croker this weekend.

The veteran skipper has been recalled for what will be his 293rd game for the club.

He has fallen down the pecking order, and he's required to play a specific amount of games this season to trigger an option for a 2024 contract extension.

It's unlikely he'll hit that mark, so we need to enjoy Croker every time he gets on the field.

It's unclear if he'll play on at another club, or pull the pin on a spectacular career. Either way, he'll go down as a Raiders great.

There was a huge outpouring of support when he was named in the team on Tuesday, even from his teammates. Hopefully he can hit the triple century.

Forget the All Blacks for a second. This might be Noah Lolesio's biggest test.

The ACT Brumbies flyhalf is weighing up his future after being overlooked by Wallabies coach Eddie Jones in his first Australian squad with an eye on this year's World Cup.

There is a sense within Brumbies headquarters that Jones is testing Lolesio, who has a player option in his deal for 2024 but could move overseas if he feels he isn't in the Wallabies frame.

Jones named uncapped Melbourne Rebels playmaker Carter Gordon and Waratah Ben Donaldson - who wasn't even NSW's first choice No.10 at the start of the season - in his squad for a camp this month.

Jones, who spoke to Lolesio on Sunday morning before the squad was announced, wants a response from the 23-year-old flyhalf to prove he should earn a Wallabies recall. If Lolesio wasn't thinking about overseas after that phone call, his manager certainly would have.

"It's their responsibility to bang on the door," Jones said of the players who missed selection. "Players always tell you what you want to hear. It's not what I hear, it's what I see. The evidence is always performance."

Lolesio knocked back Japanese offers last year to stay and learn from "the best flyhalf we've ever had" in Stephen Larkham before the World Cup, and is pondering his future as the Brumbies prepare to re-sign playmaker Jack Debreczeni.

Cadeyrn Neville was once a rower with an eye on the London Olympic Games, but dreams of a life on the water are hardly surprising given he grew up on Sydney's northern beaches.

Now the ACT Brumbies lock is the latest to play 100 Super Rugby games, some 11 years after his debut. He's still the only other Cadeyrn/Caden your columnist has met, so it's a win for both of us.

It was once the 13-man code which lured Neville to football. The rugby league oval was about 200 metres up the road, and this young bloke saw kids hitting tackle bags and wanted to get amongst it.

Now he is a Wallabies lock coach Jones can't get enough of, and at 34, is poised to play a crucial role in Australia's World Cup ambitions.

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