The announcement the GWS Giants will play the Gold Coast Suns on Anzac Day in Canberra was a little underwhelming, given the Giants and ACT government had been pushing for a heavyweight Victorian club to ensure a record crowd. But AFL boss Gillon McLachlan didn't go out of his way to promote the historic Canberra match. Having waited two days for an interview with McLachlan, the chief executive instead left a monotone 35-second voicemail message with The Canberra Times. Despite a return call to his media adviser, seconds after the message had been left, McLachlan was unavailable for the rest of the day. So here it is, in full, the AFL boss's best attempt to sell the Anzac Day AFL match in Canberra: "Happy to say the Anzac Day match will be a huge event for Canberra, an event the national capital deserves on the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli. I guess I also want to say we want to bring more events to Canberra and we want to pack out StarTrack Oval. We think it's a great opportunity to showcase the game in Canberra with the best player in the AFL in Gary Ablett, also the AFL's two newest clubs which are building a fierce rivalry. I think you will know GWS had their first ever win against the Suns in Canberra. They're the sorts of messages and you can manoeuvre around that.and speak to [the AFL media department] if you've got any more." The Giants play games against two of the modern era's great clubs, the Sydney Swans and Geelong Cats, in Canberra next year. But we'd love to hear McLachlan's spiel to sell the round two match between the Giants and Melbourne Demons. Ummm.
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KURIDRANI CLEARS IMMIGRATION
ACT Brumbies star Tevita Kuridrani almost had his Wallabies spring tour of Europe delayed by a passport bungle. He was cleared to travel just hours before the team flew out on October 24. Kuridrani's passport had to be approved in Canberra and was sent to Sydney to meet the team at the airport before flying to London. It arrived just in time but Kuridrani spent his day off on Wednesday at the French Embassy getting a visa to travel to Paris in two weeks. Kuridrani's Brumbies' debut was delayed in 2012 because of a similar incident. He was forced to withdraw from a trip to New Zealand on the eve of departure because he didn't have the appropriate paperwork.
BADGER'S FISHING TRIP TO CANBERRA
The Honey Badger Nick Cummins was genuinely devastated when told that large numbers of Murray cod have died in Canberra's Yerrabi Pond. But the rugby union cult hero says it explains why his fishing trip in the capital this year left him empty handed. Cummins played for the Barbarians against the Wallabies at Twickenham on Sunday morning. But before he left Australian rugby in July, he threw a line into Lake Burley Griffin for a spot of fishing before the Western Force played the ACT Brumbies. "I was having a flick, myself and Sias Ebersohn, and [David Pocock] comes paddling past. I didn't realise it was him and I was thinking 'He's a big bastard. Here we go, he's going to drive straight over my line here'. I yelled out, 'Oi' but then he paddled over. There was no fish in that joint and if there was it was probably crook because the water looked pretty dodgy, I'll tell you that." When Cummins told British reporters he'd been fishing in the Thames, it drew shocked looks.
WORLD CUP CHAMPS
World Cup cricket is coming to the capital next year, but last week Canberra's Vinesh Bennett and Matthew Floros brought home the Indoor Cricket World Cup. Australia defeated New Zealand in the final and has now won nine consecutive World Cups. Bennett, 39, has been there for them all, having made his debut in 2005. He hinted he may look at international retirement in the next few years, but there's still one goal he wants to tick off his indoor cricket bucket list - a national title with the ACT Rockets. "I won one in NSW in 2003, since joining the ACT Rockets it's eluded me. We've been close on a couple of occasions and been in a grand final ... It's still up in the air what I am going to do, but maybe in the next couple of years I might be retiring from the green and gold." Floros is the brother of Queensland state cricketer Jason Floros.
WESTON CREEK BOWLER BRAVES SCOTLAND
It couldn't get much tougher for Weston Creek lawn bowler Mac McLean, who will face former world No.1 Greg Harlow in the first round of the Scottish International Open on Sunday. McLean, a former Australian junior champion, qualified for the World Bowls Tour event by winning the Aussie qualifiers in Tweed Heads in August. It earned him a trip to Perth, Scotland, where he will face a baptism of fire against one of the top players on the professional circuit in Great Britain. Harlow is a former world indoor champion, has won the Scottish International and is a former world match play champion. If McLean can get past Harlow it won't get any easier, with a potential showdown against another former world champion, David Gourlay.
RAIDERS USE TACTICAL FORCE
The Raiders set their alarm clocks for 4.30am on Friday, spending the day training with the Australian Federal Police's tactical unit at Majura. Raiders players, including recruit Sam Williams, Edrick Lee and Jeremy Hawkins {pictured), donned tactical police gear as the players were taken through exhausting mental and physical drills. Retired Raiders prop Brett White was an observer, enjoying his first free pre-season in a long time. "It was a tuff (sic) day out there today. Think I got sunburnt and at one stage I got a rock in my shoe," White joked to Raiders players on social media. White has been appointed as an assistant coach to the raiders under-20s this season.
KID'S PLAY FOR BREEN AND WELLS
The fastest woman in Australian history will be sharing the track with the next generation of athletics stars at the AIS Athletics Track on Sunday. Canberra sprinter Melissa Breen and fellow Olympian Lauren Wells will take part in a 4x100m relay during the Little Athletics ACT relay carnival. There was some hesitation from Little Athletics to allow senior races, but it's a great promotion for the sport. It's the same venue where Breen broke Melinda Gainsford-Taylor's 20-year-old national record for the women's 100m in February. Breen and Boden will be competing at the Queanbeyan Gift on November 22 and 23 before turning their attention to the track season. The Canberra Track Classic has been reinstated to the calendar on February 7 next year.
SPEIGHT'S ROYAL BEARINGS
New Wallaby Henry Speight has been struggling with his sense of direction in London, but he reckons he can find his way back to the team hotel as long as he can locate Buckingham Palace. Speight made his Wallabies debut against the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday morning, ending a four-year wait to play for Australia. The shy Fijian-born winger went exploring in London when the Wallabies arrived. "I love Canberra because it's easy, it's small enough to get around and big enough that I don't get lost. I'm happy with that. In Sydney I lose my bearings. We stopped at every map [in London] when we went for a ride. But if I get lost, all I know is make my way to Buckingham Palace and I can make my way home from there. It's a five or 10 minute walk, you can't miss it."
