Locker Room: Jack Wighton's place among Raiders greats, Eddie's podcast and Nic White's contract

Think Canberra Raiders greats and your mind races towards rugby league Immortal Mal Meninga, Ricky Stuart, Laurie Daley, Steve Walters, Jason Croker and the like.

Stopping there almost feels unjust, given the sheer amount of talent who passed through the club's four walls and delivered three premierships during an unforgettable lime green era.

But how long does it take you to get to names like Alan Tongue, Simon Woolford, Clinton Schifcofske and Terry Campese?

What separates them from the aforementioned names? Those bronze trophies bearing the image of rugby league's gladiators and the name of a cigarette company.

Meninga, Stuart, Daley and co have three premierships to show for their time at the Raiders, and fell just short of adding a few more.

So where will Jack Wighton's name land if the Raiders' premiership drought stretches into a 30^th year? The 30-year-old has won Dally M and Clive Churchill medals. He has worn Australian and NSW jerseys.

But he is bound for South Sydney at the end of the year, taking a cut-price deal to join the Rabbitohs because they are supposedly more likely to win a premiership than Canberra.

Wighton will have played something like 240 games for the club by the time he leaves, and may go down as the greatest Raider to never win a premiership - for Canberra, at least.

Among that category is Tongue, who may well have been one of the toughest blokes to ever play rugby league, the redhead who defied his stature on the way to 220 games and the Dally M captain and lock of the year awards in 2008.

There were times it felt like Campese could damn near carry the Raiders to the summit on his own, only for his knee to collapse under the weight of a city.

Woolford was a gritty hooker who demanded perfection. Schifcofske played State of Origin when it was a foreign arena for any bloke in lime green.

Time is running out for Wighton to win a competition in Canberra - and if they really can't win one in the next four years, that group could eventually include Josh Papali'i, Elliott Whitehead and Jarrod Croker.

Our pick for the greatest non-premiership-winning Raider? Easy. Alan Tongue. Might not have been the most talented, but bloody tough and a champion on and off the field.

The NRL wants to open next year's competition with a double-header in Las Vegas. What better way than to kick it off with the Las Vegas Raiders?

No, not the NFL franchise worth more than five billion dollars being steered around the park by Jimmy Garoppolo, whose $73 million AUD contract dwarfs what any rugby league player could ever hope to earn - we're talking about the Canberra Raiders.

Manly, Melbourne and South Sydney have confirmed their interest in a season opener slated for Allegiant Stadium, the home of next year's Super Bowl. Wouldn't the Raiders and the Rabbitohs make for a spicy season opener?

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Powerbrokers say the game is tailormade for an American fanbase - but more compelling for league officials is the chance to tap into a multibillion-dollar sports betting market.

The Raiders had looked at taking premiership games to China when they were backed by telecommunications giant Huawei, but talks dragged on and eventually stalled due to a lack of NRL support.

The Olympic Games is well known for its after-dark activities, especially for athletes who have one event in the first couple of days and then get to lap up the village life for two weeks.

The Australian Olympic Committee is planning to kick athletes out of the village not long after they've competed, in part to create room for incoming athletes and coaches as well as ensuring the party vibe doesn't affect performance.

Australia had one of its most successful Olympic campaigns since Sydney at the Tokyo Games two years ago and it's no coincidence that is in part due to athletes having to leave 48 hours after their competition finished due to COVID-19 concerns.

We asked Olympic swimming great Kieren Perkins his thoughts on the new rules. He has an interesting perspective, because as a swimmer he got to enjoy more than a week of partying after his events, but now he's on the other side of the fence as the Australian Sports Commission chief executive.

"One of the narratives that has been challenging for me is that while there are celebrations post competition for those who finish early, the vast majority go to events and support teammates, fly the flag," Perkins said.

"I understand the athletes' perspective. These things aren't simple any more ... the space provided and the cost ... the Olympic environment is far more challenging than its ever been. I'm pretty confident the AOC hasn't made a decision like this blindly and understanding the pushback they would get.

"We all like to blame social media [for distractions], but it's not as simple as that. The more incased in the bubble you can be to navigate stress and pressure can be really important. I've seen feedback from Tokyo where the limiting nature of family engagement leading into Tokyo was seen as a positive in terms of navigating the pressure. It's a complex and difficult thing."

"Everywhere Eddie" Jones has been the talk of Australian rugby since his shock return as Wallabies coach in January. He's been at schools, functions, training sessions, games, camps and even in the podcast world.

His 30-minute session alongside media guru David Pembroke was good listening for rugby fans around the globe. In true Eddie style, he was open, honest and brutal in his appraisal of rugby in Australia and abroad.

And then ... it all stopped after 11 episodes. There was a two-minute "goodbye for now" episode posted last week signalling what many hope is only a temporary pause.

The abrupt end had many wondering if Rugby Australia had attempted to pull Jones off the airwaves to focus on the Wallabies and the World Cup, or to use his valuable soundbites in traditional media avenues. Why had it stopped so suddenly? Did Hamish McLennan pull rank?

But after making a few calls, we can confirm Rugby Australia chairman McLennan was happy for Jones to continue with the back and forth with Pembroke, even into the World Cup.

In fact, Pembroke said McLennan was influential in getting the podcast started after the pair first spoke about the idea earlier this year. McLennan had helped tee it up within four days.

"I have news, and it is indeed sad news," Pembroke said on the final "Eddie" podcast. "As the Wallabies move into serious preparation for this year's Rugby Championship and the rugby World Cup, some things have had to give. And unfortunately the Eddie podcast is one of them. At least for now."

We keep hearing overseas clubs are going hard to recruit Wallabies and Brumbies' No. 9 Nic White, tabling offers that are hard to match financially.

White is keen to stay in Canberra with his young family, expressing his desire to remain with the Brumbies multiple times this year. Rugby Australia initially offered a one-year deal, but White was keen for two to get to the British and Irish Lions.

Word going around is there'll be a decision soon, and that moving abroad again might be the leading option. Watch this space.

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