Locker room: Nick Kyrgios' tennis commentary, Laurie Fisher's new job

It's been a lean 12 months for Nick Kyrgios, who has barely played a match since the end of his successful 2022 campaign. His absence from the tour and Grand Slams has sparked plenty of debate about whether Kyrgios will ever be back, given he has hinted at early retirement in the past.

But we can confirm Kyrgios is back, baby. But probably not as you, or anyone, expected.

The 28-year-old will join the Tennis Channel to commentate at the World Tour Finals in Italy later this week.

It's a surprising move because Kyrgios is usually the first to take down commentators who criticise his actions on or off the court.

But it's sure to be a ratings winner for the Tennis Channel, with Kyrgios to pull up a chair next to John McEnroe in the commentary box. Can you imagine the fireworks?

"Nick Kyrgios, whose electric style of play and straight-to-the-point conversational approach have endeared him to millions of fans around the world, is joining Tennis Channel as an analyst during its coverage of the ATP Finals November 12-19," the network said in a statement.

"It will be Kyrgios' first time working with the network, and it will happen during the most exclusive event in men's tennis, with just the top eight singles players and doubles teams qualifying for the event based on points earned during the 2023 season."

And for those wondering about his return to the court, we hear it's not far away. Tennis ACT are keen for Kyrgios to use their facility in Lyneham as part of his comeback, which is expected to heat up in the next month or so.

It's expected he will be on court for the Australian summer, but where, when and how are still to be decided.

It hasn't taken long for Laurie Fisher to land on his feet in full-time coaching retirement. The ACT rugby guru stepped away from regular duties at the end of the Super Rugby season, officially ending more than 20 years as a full-time mentor.

If his first few months are anything to go by, he will be one of the most sought-after consultants in world rugby despite Eddie Jones' decision to axe him from the Wallabies set up.

Fisher spent plenty of time touring around Europe and working with the Barbarians during the World Cup before a brief stint back at home. He's now in Japan helping the Ricoh Black Rams, and there's good news on the horizon for one Canberra club.

The Uni-Norths Owls have secured Fisher as a director of rugby for next year, marking an official return to the club he led to premiership glory in the 1990s. Not a bad pickup.

It's been a painful period to watch for Patty Mills in the NBA. He was shunted out of the rotation by the Brooklyn Nets last year, despite his $10 million per-season salary, and he was traded by four teams in 10 days in the off-season before landing at Atlanta.

It was hoped 35-year-old Mills would get a chance to prove himself as a role player, but so far the Hawks have refused to use him in their seven games this year.

It's a strange situation for Mills, and once he hasn't faced since his early days with the Portland Trailblazers.

He has traditionally been at his best in an Olympic year, which is looming in 2024. But will any NBA franchises be willing to sign him as a 36-year-old after the Paris Games next year? We'll see.

If only we had a Canberra Cannons team he could join. But as we mentioned last week, rumour has it the Cannons revival dream is on hold for at least another five years. We're waiting to confirm that with the NBL.

Keep your eye out for a Giteau to make big waves at the NSW Australian of the Year awards on Monday night. Kristy Giteau is in line for the Local Hero prize after being nominated for her efforts launching the Win the Day charity.

It's a massive achievement for Giteau, who started the organisation when her daughter, Ka'ili, was diagnosed with a rare cancer four years ago.

The Win the Day charity "Dare to be Rare" ball raised $413,600 for oncology families just last week after a function at the National Arboretum. If anyone deserves the hero title, it's Giteau.

There are two types of people in the world: those who love it when the NRL and AFL draws drop, and those who hate it.

For those interested in trawling through the 2024 schedules to find out if the Canberra Raiders will be 5-0 or 0-5 to start the season, the full draw is expected to be published next week.

The AFL draw will follow soon, likely after the AFLW finals series. It will be interesting to see who the GWS Giants bring to town next year. There are just five clubs who are yet to play a premiership game at Manuka Oval since the start of the Canberra-Giants deal in 2011. Those teams are: Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon, Sydney and West Coast.

Capital Football has started its search for a fourth chief executive in less than two years.

Still reeling from the departure of Ivan Slavich, the organisation has turned to social media to start looking for his successor.

Slavich stepped into the role to replace Chris Gardiner, who was there in an interim capacity to replace Phil Brown. Slavich quit after he went nuclear and slammed the board for axing the Canberra United Academy program in September. He hasn't been contactable since then.

There are some funny responses to the job ad, which was posted on the social media channel.

So Eddie Jones is keen to coach Japan again. Shock. But there's finally some good news to emerge from the Wallabies' World Cup disaster.

The ACT Brumbies will be back at training next week and, thanks to the Wallabies' early Cup exit, most of their Test representatives will be available for action a month earlier than expected.

Traditionally Wallabies players are unavailable for any Super Rugby training until the second week of January, giving coaches just a few weeks to pull together the team.

But we're hearing that because the Wallabies failed to make the quarter-finals in France, the holiday started early and now training will as well.

It's a welcome boost for Stephen Larkham, who is preparing for his second year back in charge of the Brumbies. Former Brumbies and Wallabies skipper Ben Mowen will join his staff for next year as well.

There's plenty to play out for Larkham, who is considered one of the candidates to replace Jones. But we hear the Wallabies legend is yet to even make a call about whether it's something he wants to pursue.

Some Brumbies are still getting a well-earned break, including Tom Hooper and Rob Valetini, who are part of Jones' Barbarians squad last week.

But expect to see Blake Schoupp, Noah Lolesio, Len Ikitau and Tom Wright earlier than normal.

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.