Read on for the latest news from around the grounds in Canberra sport. We've got an update on another sports betting ban, an idea to celebrate Jarrod Croker's career and a major Athletics ACT overhaul.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Canberra punters have been left in the cold for the second time in less than a week after Sportsbet excluded the capital from another promotion.
Sportsbet launched a racing promotion this week, offering up to $50 back in bonus bets if your horse finishes second or third. But Canberrans are not allowed to participate, excluded from the offer alongside residents from Western Australia and South Australia.
Usually, it wouldn't rate a mention given there are a raft of different offers across states and territories. But the fact it follows the company's decision to ban ACT residents from the popular "bet with mates" platform has raised plenty of eyebrows.
![Canberrans have been banned from another Sportsbet promotion. Picture supplied Canberrans have been banned from another Sportsbet promotion. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/c06077f6-a3ad-41e0-bee7-4190a836b6ee.png/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Many in the racing industry have been left dumbfounded, especially with footy finals and the spring racing season just around the corner.
We're told some Canberra officials have reached out to try to get answers, but they are yet to be told why the ACT has been targeted.
The theory doing the rounds is that Sportsbet is firing a shot across the bow after the ACT government raised the point of consumption tax from 20 to 25 per cent on July 1.
That increase gives Canberra the highest point of consumption tax rate in Australia and is expected to net the government an extra $10 million in revenue over the next financial year. None of that will be passed on to the racing industry.
NEXT-GEN CROKER
![Rory Croker is out to follow in his father's footsteps. Rory Croker is out to follow in his father's footsteps.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/93055696-e7a3-4fdc-b0f0-e95b59c06b0d.jpg/r0_218_4256_2611_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
There will be a big hole in Raiders hearts when Jarrod Croker retires. But the good news is Green Machine fans might not have to wait long for the next generation to come through.
Rory Croker is already well known in Raiders circles, wearing his boots, headgear and mouthguard almost every day with a footy tucked under his arm.
But if the Raiders were still looking for a way to properly honour Croker, who will play his last regular-season home game alongside Jack Wighton on Saturday night, we've got the perfect idea.
Apparently Rory knows the team song, so we reckon Matt Timoko should hand the job to Rory for a rousing rendition if they beat the Broncos. Over to you, Matt.
FIFA BACKS CANBERRA MOVE
We told you last week that Capital Football boss Ivan Slavich had landed on the radar of the NSW government Fair Trading Minister for his plan to use the Matildas to drive interest for Canberra United.
The offer of tickets to the Matildas' semi-final for anyone willing to sponsor Canberra United also lobbed on FIFA's radar and guess what? They loved the idea.
So while the NSW government was trying to grandstand (surprise, surprise they chose to pick on a Canberra team), FIFA was supportive of the move to generate more interest in the A-League Women's competition.
![Canberra United is hoping for a big boost in crowd numbers. Picture by Elesa Kurtz Canberra United is hoping for a big boost in crowd numbers. Picture by Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/62a8ddc5-65d9-45e5-9536-a3d29372b2cf.jpg/r0_271_5298_3261_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The problem is, Capital Football had to pull the offer because of the NSW intervention, despite about 20 people reaching out to Slavich to investigate.
If just 10 of those had committed to a sponsorship deal, with packages starting at $2500, it may have cost Canberra United $25,000. It might seem like small fish, but every dollar counts on a shoestring budget.
"We were doing absolutely nothing wrong, we were not reselling tickets," Slavich said.
"Unfortunately I think the minister was misinformed about what we were doing. To explain, we purchase tickets as a member federation and every member federation was already using those tickets for supporters of the game, especially the women's game. That's all I was doing.
"I was using leverage to try and get more support for women's football. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing in my job?
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
"I spoke with the head of the Council at FIFA, they thought it was a clever idea. I was not scalping tickets, I was using it as an incentive for people to support women's football. I squared things away with FIFA, they were absolutely fine and had no problems with it."
But while Slavich missed out on some sponsors, the club has benefited from an uptick in members. They had more than 200 sign up in the first week, mainly off the back of the Matildas. One fan told us he bought a six-game membership when he was swept up in Sam Kerr euphoria.
THE CUP THAT TOURS CANBERRA
The Melbourne Cup is coming to Canberra! No, not the race. But the $600,000 trophy is coming up the highway and it's all for a good cause.
Racing and Sports have organised for a Cup tour on September 5 and 6 to help raise money for Pegasus Riding for the Disabled.
There will be a lunch at Pegasus in Holt in the afternoon before a dinner at the Southern Cross Club with Melbourne Cup sweeps, a data visualisation of the best Cup never run and fashions on the field.
The Dock in Kingston will also host an event the following night, with the Melbourne Cup to be presented to the winner of the popular Running 4 Resilience session. Not a bad prize for a quick jog near the lake.
LOB IT LIKE LIAM
Canberra junior Liam Platt is setting himself up for an impressive netball career. Considered a rising star in the men's netball ranks, Platt has been picked to play for the Australian under-17s team in New Zealand next month.
The former basketballer made the switch to netball since going to watch a game a few years ago. He was invited to the national selection camp in June and the Capital Darters gave him a boost by including him in their sessions before the trials.
PRIZE-MONEY SQUASH
![David Baillargeon played in the Jansher Khan Canberra Open last year, where squash players from around the world will play for $20k prizemoney. Picture by Keegan Carroll David Baillargeon played in the Jansher Khan Canberra Open last year, where squash players from around the world will play for $20k prizemoney. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/bbd5ef41-925a-4db3-b2ce-25ee3f752b32.jpg/r0_256_5000_3078_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
There's about $20,000 up for grabs at the Woden squash this weekend when players compete in the Jansher Khan Canberra Open and the ACT Open.
Play started on Wednesday, with 24 players in the men's draw and 16 in the women's. The event is named in honour of former world No. 1 Jansher Kahn, widely regarded as one of the world's best who won the world open eight times and the British Open six times.
The event is sanctioned by the Professional Squash Association and is supported by the Australian-Pakistani businesses to boost its profile.
BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT FOR ATHLETICS
![Capital Athletics is the sport's new body in Canberra. Picture by Graham Tidy Capital Athletics is the sport's new body in Canberra. Picture by Graham Tidy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/5588f781-c8ee-46fd-a619-c1ad97a79bb9.jpg/r265_0_2959_1512_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Canberra athletics community quietly celebrated a historic moment during the week when officials from Little Athletics and Athletics ACT voted to become one organisation for the first time.
The new body will be called "Capital Athletics" and will oversee events for all ages after being brought under one banner.
The organisation's chief executive Glen Taylor declared the change was an important "stepping stone" for the future.
"[It] was a momentous day for athletics in the ACT and surrounding regions of NSW. This is, of course, not the end of the journey - rather an important stepping stone and there is still a lot of work yet to do," Taylor said.
"Using the new Capital Athletics entity as a platform, we are looking forward to realising our goals of growing the sport of athletics and providing a united whole of life pathway."
The merger has been in the works for more than 12 months in Canberra and most similar bodies across Australia have been investigating the same deal.
But while there is division in NSW, the two Canberra bodies have agreed to work together and fall into one organisation.
What does it mean? It is largely designed to make the most of resourcing and staffing, while also bridging the gap between junior and senior programs in an attempt to reduce the drop out rate.
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.