Rock legend Flea has jumped on the Green Machine bandwagon ahead of the NRL season after Canberra Raiders fan Nick Risteski presented the Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player with a jersey at Moruya this week.
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The Chili Peppers spent five days on the south coast between their appearances at the Big Day Out and Risteski was invited by a friend to ''hang out'' with the American rock band.
Risteski is friends with Raiders playmaker Terry Campese and asked for a jersey to give to Michael ''Flea'' Balzary, who has a holiday home at Moruya.
Fellow founding member and singer Anthony Kiedis was also taking a break from the band's tour on the south coast.
''I'm a tragic Chili Peppers fan and it was awesome when my friend invited me down,'' Risteski said.
''I just wanted a jersey to give to Flea as a present and he's into his sport.
''Flea's a massive LA Lakers [NBA] fan and so I asked if he'd heard of rugby league.
''He said he knew a little bit about it, but not too much. I said the Raiders are a favourite team of mine from the captain Terry Campese and to help him understand I said [Campese] is to the Raiders what Kobe Bryant is to the Lakers.
''It was merging my two passions together - the Chili Peppers and the Raiders.''
Risteski also got a Chili Peppers shirt signed and is going to donate it to Raider Joel Thompson's charity auction.
Thompson is auctioning off memorabilia to raise money for Ryan Dollisson who recently had his foot amputated after a workplace incident in Albury.
The Chili Peppers were in Sydney performing at the Big Day Out last Friday and are back in action in Adelaide today.
