On the topic of hydration, there's a funny story about how Ken Nagas came to be running the water for the Raiders NRL team. Raiders coach Ricky Stuart invited Nagas to help out at the top level when assistant coach Matt Parish quit the club midway through last season. Stuart's remaining assistant, Dean Pay, took on the duties of wearing the blue shirt, which involved running out the water and messages from the coach. But it turns out the former Australian prop wasn't quite up to speed. While he admits he's still a little off the pace for NRL, Nagas was quick to jump in and offer assistance. It allows Pay to get back up in the coaches box. "Rick's big on tradition and he gave me the opportunity to get involved with first grade, just to be around," Nagas said. "Dean had enough of it, but the story is Rick's messages weren't getting out quick enough," Nagas teased.

The NRL and Indigenous All Stars concept has been revived this year and Nagas would have loved to see the concept back in his (earlier) playing days. Born in Bundaberg, to an Aboriginal mum and South Pacific island father, Nagas actually ended up representing NSW at Origin level. A couple of Raiders look to be big hopes for the indigenous team, Jack Wighton and Edrick Lee, who was mentored by Nagas in his early days at the club. "I like the Indigenous All Stars concept, I agree with it. It gives an opportunity for indigenous players like Jack or Edrick to represent at a level they may never get to do. But it's not just about the football, it's about the whole week and what they do with the community, the game is just to top things off." Nagas knows a thing or two about community work, given he's a victim liaison officer with ACT Policing and assists those affected by domestic violence.

The Melbourne Storm and Wests Tigers will wear sleeveless jerseys at the Auckland Nines and the Raiders could have been the third NRL club to literally flex their muscles with the new look. Canberra's uniform supplier ISC tried to sell the concept of sleeveless jerseys to the Raiders, but the club turned it down given they have a valued sleeve sponsor in Defence Housing Australia. The Raiders will name their Auckland Nines squad next Saturday at Jerseys Megastore in Fyshwick. While it was originally thought Jarrod Croker may miss the tournament, the new skipper is now pencilled in to lead the team to the tournament. It was at the same tournament last year that Croker made his first cameo appearance as a Raiders skipper, the position he's now been granted full-time.

Former Raiders skipper Terry Campese has certainly made an immediate impact at new English club Hull Kingston Rovers, the 30-year-old appointed skipper of the Robins just two weeks after his arrival. He takes over the position from Josh Hodgson, the England representative hooker who has joined the Raiders this season. Campese has only signed a one-year deal with Hull KR, heavily subsidised by the Raiders, but his captaincy appointment is an indication that the club sees value in him. "I thought Terry was a natural candidate. He's an experienced player and he's been captain for Canberra, but it's more what he brings to the role off the field as well," said Hull KR coach Chris Chester. Campese, of Italian heritage, has also won over his teammates by cooking them lasagne from scratch, no doubt a recipe borrowed from his mother, Lisa, who used to prepare the meal for him before every Raiders home game.

There's a lot of big soccer identities coming to Canberra for the Asian Cup games between now and January 23, but add Liverpool legend Craig Johnston to the list. Johnston was one of the first Australians to really hit the big time in England and European soccer - Skippy was a fan favourite at Liverpool from 1981-88. Let's rattle off some of the highlights shall we: part of the Premier League championship-winning teams in 1982 and '83; a treble of League championship, League Cup and European Cup in '84; part of the League championship and FA Cup double in '86, including scoring in the '86 FA Cup final at Wembley. Better still, hear the stories from the man himself by going along to the Woden Tradies on January 17. It's a fundraiser for the Belconnen United Football Club and will be hosted by iconic news man George Negus.

Canberra teenager Nick Kyrgios can barely believe the year that's just gone, from training with Roger Federer to beating then-world No.1 Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon on his way to the quarter-finals. But the 19-year-old is still pinching himself at the experience he enjoyed in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) towards the end of last year. Kyrgios had his first flight in a private jet and was sharing courts with the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Pat Rafter, Andre Agassi and Serena Williams. Asked about Williams ordering a coffee midway through a recent Hopman Cup match, Kyrgios grinned. "It's hard to concentrate when she's on your team, it's a lot of fun. She's a legend of the game, just being around her elevates your own game to another level. She's the Roger Federer of women's tennis."

Canberra's Patty Mills will meet US President Barack Obama next week, after his NBA championship-winning San Antonio Spurs were invited to a ceremony at the White House. Mills is back on the court after missing three months of the 2014-15 NBA season recovering from shoulder surgery. "It's a wonderful experience for a lot of these guys who maybe haven't travelled much in their life other than to NBA games," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. "To be able to go to the White House and see the president and first lady and walk through, it's very exciting for all of us."