Canberra Raiders legend Jarrod Croker opens up on secret surgery and his NRL future

The 32-year-old's body's feeling good at the moment and he hasn't ruled out playing on into a 16^th NRL season.

But when asked whether there's a chance of that, the Raiders co-captain replies "you'll have to ask Donny" - aka the Canberra Raiders chief executive Don Furner.

It gives you an insight into how much the Green Machine means to him - it'll be in lime green or nothing.

Croker had an option for 2024, but he had to play a certain number of games across 2022-23 to activate it - a number he can't hit having played just one game last year.

But all he's focused on is Friday night - where a massive crowd of 20,000 was expected. Once he's gotten past the New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium, then he'll start to think about his future.

That's when he'll join distant-relation Jason Croker (318) as the only Raiders to make the milestone - and become just the 48th player to hit the 300 mark in the NRL as well, 18^th to do it for one club.

He's scored more points than any other Raider (2316). More tries as well (135). And if he keeps scoring at his current rate (10 points per game), he'll sneak past Canterbury great Hazem el Masri (2418), who's second on the league's all-time scoring list.

"I haven't spoken too much about it. I'm certainly hungry for football still, I haven't lost that at all," Croker told The Canberra Times.

"I'm off-contract. It's the first time essentially I've been off-contract. I haven't thought too much about it.

"Since I've been back in [the team] the talk's all been about the 300^th so hopefully we can get that out of the way.

"Then I'll sit down with Donny and 'Stick' and see what their thoughts are.

"The way that I'm feeling, and I feel like I'm starting to get better with every game.

"I'm feeing good. I'm not too sure where it's all going to go, but I'm loving my footy at the moment."

There's been large stretches of the past two years where it didn't look like he'd get to his 300^th as his body finally started to let him down.

He was basically injury free for his first 12 seasons as he became a point- and try-scoring machine.

But then career-threatening knee and shoulder injuries brought him to a standstill, and it looked like he'd never fight his way back into his beloved Green Machine.

Then up stepped his fellow leaders after round five as the club sat second-last with just one win, calling on Raiders coach Ricky Stuart to pick him.

Stuart did and Canberra's season suddenly kicked into gear, his experience helping ignite a run of seven wins from eight games - having played in all-but their 20-19 win over Wests Tigers on Friday.

But there was a moment just before Christmas when he thought his world had ended.

Everyone knows about the chronic knee injury that had bone grinding on bone and needed stem-cell surgery to fix.

Then the shoulder reconstruction he needed after playing just one game last year.

But the knee surgery he had late last year has been kept secret.

At first it was feared it was a similar meniscus tear that kept Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty out of the opening 11 rounds of 2022 - more time out would be a massive blow.

"I was running with [rehabilitation coach Leigh Woodbridge] and something just started clicking," Croker said.

"We got a scan and it was the meniscus, but at the time they thought it might've been a complete tear - the one Jamal had - I thought the world had ended again.

"We went and saw Dr Porter and he was happy just to give it a clean out and said it wasn't too bad.

"Not many people knew about it and I got back into it over Christmas ... and here we are mate."

But it was the previous knee injury that prompted Stuart to ask Croker to retire.

The Green Machine were camped on the Gold Coast during the COVID-19 lockdown at the end of the 2021 season.

Croker's chronic knee problem had ended his season after round 22 and he was struggling with his training loads.

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The Raiders co-captain understood why Stuart said it. But that didn't mean he was going to listen. You're a long time retired after all.

The consummate professional, he wanted to explore every option to give himself every chance of a comeback.

"It was when we were up in the bubble in Queensland. At the time I think I was 30 ... that was probably when my body was at its worst to be honest," Croker said.

"Looking back on it I can see why he did do it and why he did mention it to me - he was looking out for me.

"That was when I decided to go try get some other options sorted out with my knee and had the stem-cell done.

"I remember saying to him, 'Just give me a chance to try this knee stuff out' - I do believe it worked otherwise I wouldn't still be playing."

JARROD CROKER ROUND

Friday: Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium, 6pm.

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