Locker Room: Campbelltown or Canberra? The Raiders have a call to make on Jarrod Croker's 300th

Even Jarrod Croker's family reckon the Raiders captain might be reduced to tears when he reaches a 300-game milestone so many thought would never come. So, would those tears be better shed on a Friday night in Campbelltown, or in front of a passionate Canberra crowd?

Could the Raiders rest Croker against the Wests Tigers next week in a move which would allow him to bring up his triple century at home against the New Zealand Warriors a week later? We hear the move has been discussed in some quarters.

You could hardly blame 32-year-old Croker for wanting to play every game given the torrid injury toll that threatened to end his career on a handful of occasions in recent years.

Croker has fended off medical retirement with revolutionary stem cell surgery on the knee injury that hampered his 2021 campaign, which followed a shoulder reconstruction in 2020. Then a freak accident at home 12 months ago left him with a dislocated shoulder.

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Even Raiders coach Ricky Stuart had floated the possibility of retirement with Croker before he started the season in Canberra's NSW Cup team, where he was kicking goals at Kippax and Kellyville, far removed from the bright lights of the NRL before fighting his way back into first grade.

Ask those closest to him and they'll tell you Croker is enjoying his football so much that he'd love to play on for another year or two. They follow that with a disclaimer, though, that he's just happy getting through a training session every day without his body failing him.

Resting Croker against the Tigers would by no means be a shot against Tim Sheens' resurgent outfit who just last week piled 66 points on North Queensland at the eighth wonder of the world. Stuart will tell you a thousand times there are no easy games in the NRL.

The key factor at play here is giving Croker the chance to become the second Raider to play 300 games - joining Jason Croker in the elite group - on home soil.

A loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Homebush on Saturday night would likely put any thought of resting Croker to bed. Regardless, any decision would likely be made on Sunday, with Raiders officials conscious fans would be likely to head to Campbelltown in droves to witness Croker create history.

If you wanted an idea of what Croker's 300^th NRL appearance means to fans, Toots 300 commemorative shirts have become the best-selling item on rugbyleaguemerch.com - surpassing a line of Weak Gutted Dog! tees.

It has been disappointing to hear some sporting officials are unconcerned about disgraceful post-match comments from players in Canberra competitions.

We're aware of one incident last weekend, where a player used derogatory references to describe an incident on the field while in the tunnel after the final whistle.

It was within ear shot of the referees, club officials and both teams. When the governing body was told about the issue, officials dismissed it without concern and said there was nothing they could do, or would do, despite having two eye-witness accounts.

Competition officials need to take a stand against derogatory comments of any kind if they are to be taken seriously when they try to push rounds dedicated to respect for women, match officials, pride and Indigenous issues - otherwise they could seem like little more than token gestures.

Cadeyrn Neville is pushing to make his ACT Brumbies return on the eve of the Super Rugby Pacific finals as the towering lock hunts for a new deal to keep him in Canberra.

Neville is one of the feel-good stories in Australian rugby. He was once cast aside by Queensland, plying his trade in Japan before earning another shot at Super Rugby with the Brumbies. He made his Wallabies debut 10 years after first being called into a national squad.

Now at 34, it seems Neville knows no bounds as he looks to bounce back from a worrying leg issue a week out from the finals in the hope of earning a new contract.

The Brumbies are keen to keep Neville on their books to bolster an impressive contingent of locks, while Ollie Sapsford is targeting another contract as he looks to break into a Wallaby-laden back line.

Negotiations with Neville and Sapsford come as the Brumbies lock in fullback Tom Wright and prop James Slipper, who is in line to become Australia's most-capped Test player by the end of his next deal.

If Canberra Capitals fans need a glimmer of hope after sliding to the bottom of the ladder, try this: Jade Melbourne has promised coach Kristen Veal her career "will only get better from here" after her WNBA debut.

Veal sent Melbourne a message following her debut for Seattle, congratulating Canberra's most valuable player and writing "onwards and upwards" following the Storm's season-opening loss.

Melbourne's response was just what any coach would dream of as she continues on a path paved by Lauren Jackson, who boasts a resume any basketballer would dream of.

Like Jackson, Melbourne is a product of Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence who shot to WNBL fame with the Capitals and soon represented her country.

Now she just has the small matter of the championships and league MVP awards to catch up on.

"That's the thing we love about Jade, she is always ready and makes the most of every opportunity, but deep down is a winner, she wants to win," Veal said.

"Even though she got her first points, got her first minutes, had her first game, it's still not enough. It's about the team being better and the team getting wins. It's super exciting to see her on there but still driving for more."

Need proof Nikita Tszyu is starting to enjoy life in the limelight? Calling out WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury seems like more than enough.

Tszyu made an emphatic statement when he stopped Benjamin Bommber inside one round in Melbourne on Wednesday night.

So what comes next for Tszyu as he looks to follow in the footsteps of his father Kostya and brother Tim?

"There is one person in this arena that I had my eye on: The Gypsy King, Tyson Fury. I don't care if I go heavyweight, I'll take your WBC title," Tszyu said.

But when an image of a seemingly unimpressed Fury was shown on the big screen inside Margaret Court Arena, Tszyu was quick to add: "I'm joking, don't kill me".

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