Locker Room: Which ACT Brumbies could wear Canberra Raiders green?

Imagine Corey Toole racing Josh Addo-Carr to the line or Rob Valetini charging straight at Payne Haas.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has opened the door for clubs to launch raids on rugby's best talent, with rugby league bosses to discuss salary cap exemptions to attract players from rival codes.

If the Canberra Raiders want to target any of rugby's brightest talents, they might not have to look too far.

Toole - the ACT Brumbies winger who once asked Google how to run faster - is one of the quickest Australian athletes across any football code. You'd be mad not to have a look, although blink and you might miss him.

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Valetini is one of the most damaging forwards in world rugby. Imagine having his 193 centimetre, 113 kilogram frame joining Joe Tapine in the Raiders' pack.

Brumbies flyhalf Noah Lolesio could soon explore his options for 2025 and beyond. A code switch might be just what the doctor ordered for the playmaker discarded by the Wallabies - if you can convince him to stay instead of flying to France.

Scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan could feed him the ball from hooker, while Wallabies centre Len Ikitau - a strong defender with incredible footwork - could play outside him.

Before we get too carried away, Raiders chief executive Don Furner has no plans to target rugby stars and says any salary cap relief should reward clubs for producing their own juniors.

Across town, at this stage the Brumbies are not concerned about the prospect of their biggest names crossing codes.

But Rugby Australia officials are on high alert with chief executive Phil Waugh saying the governing body needs to win back the faith of the players.

"We talk about building trust and connection. We've lost a lot of trust with the playing group as well," Waugh said.

"The experience that they had this year with the Wallabies at the World Cup, compared to what they would have envisaged going into the World Cup, might have been very different.

"So it's really important for us to build a system that's attractive for them to be a part of."

Remember The Southpaw Project?

A documentary following Canberra cricketer Blake Dean has been in the works for seven years, and the final minutes of footage were shot this week.

The project is led by Lachlan Ross - who, alongside Ben Izzard, was behind a four-part series on Luc Longley, the Australian giant who played alongside Michael Jordan and co during the Bulls' second three-peat, titled Foundations.

Dean was initially chasing a return to the Big Bash - this time as a left-hander - in a bid to become an ambidextrous cricketer at the elite level. A BBL deal would never come, but Ross hopes the documentary's new direction transcends cricket.

"It's a rare and special thing to be trusted with access to someone's life for seven years," Ross said.

"I think the most incredible part of this has been seeing Blake's perspective and sense of self change over that time.

"The Southpaw Project evolved from a sports story documenting something that had never been accomplished on a cricket pitch to a film that explores mental health, becoming a father, and transitioning from professional sport into something bigger.

"In 2016, Blake set out to change the game of cricket, and in seven years he has done that in ways he never would have imagined."

Ever wanted to spend an afternoon spinning yarns with Jarrod Croker?

Plenty will get the chance to do just that when the Canberra Raiders great is honoured with a testimonial at Thoroughbred Park on December 1.

Tickets are going for $300 a pop - or $3000 for a table - for an event dubbed "Toasting a Legend", but billed on social media as "Roasting a Legend".

You might want to skip the coast on the Anzac Day long weekend in April.

With the GWS Giants set to host the Brisbane Lions in an Anzac Day blockbuster at Manuka Oval on April 25, Canberra fans are set for a triple-header weekend.

The Brumbies will host the Wellington Hurricanes in a Super Rugby clash at Canberra Stadium on the Saturday afternoon, before the Raiders face the Cronulla Sharks a day later.

A Thursday night game followed by two afternoons at the football doesn't sound like the worst way to spend a few days in Canberra - just as we're supposed to turn the heaters on.

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