BIG MAL SEEING DOUBLE
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Queensland v Canberra – it's the new State of Origin battle with Raiders great and Maroons legend Mal Meninga. Queensland rugby league paid tribute to Meninga before the Origin opener last Wednesday, immortalising him with a statue outside Suncorp Stadium. It's the second Meninga statue in Australia. There's one at Canberra Stadium as a mark of his three-premiership career with the Raiders. That one was unveiled in 2009 and stands alongside Origin coaching rival Laurie Daley. Meninga's name is also atop the western grandstand at Canberra Stadium. There's no word from the ACT government about whether the Meninga and Daley statues will be moved to a new rectangular stadium when it is built by the end of the decade. It's also unknown if the Meninga stand and the Gregan-Larkham stand will be carried over. We can't tell which Meninga statue looks more like Big Mal. Canberra's version depicts a Raiders champion in his glory years while Queensland's version is of a young Meninga. The next Canberra sporting identity up for a naming-rights honour or statue? We're tipping Brumbies great George Smith either at the new $16 million University of Canberra sports hub or the new stadium. Meanwhile, the Raiders are considering cutting ties with Queensland Cup affiliate Souths Logan with the club to make a decision whether they will stop injecting money north of the border.
A GITEAU COMEBACK?
The ACT Brumbies will "always be open" to the suggestion of club champion Matt Giteau making a Super Rugby comeback. But it remains unclear whether the Queanbeyan junior and 92-Test Wallaby will want to return for a farewell season in Australia. Giteau made headlines last week when he helped lift Toulon to a Heineken Cup victory. Giteau finished his French season with the Top 14 final against Castres on Sunday morning. But after earning the praise of England great Jonny Wilkinson, there has been speculation about whether Giteau would want to add to his Super Rugby career and Wallabies caps. Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham told Locker Room the club would be open to talks if Giteau was serious about coming home. The 31-year-old has signed a contract extension in Toulon. It would also be hard to fit him in the Brumbies' line-up with Christian Lealiifano and Matt Toomua in the prime of their careers. But maybe one day he'll be back. "For me, I'm happy over here, I'm very settled. I'm enjoying my rugby. Things are different for me with a small family. I'm happy with my life and I'm happy with my rugby. "I've had my opportunities in Australia, and I've really enjoyed them. It's a huge honour to represent your country and if I was asked to play, of course you'd put your hand up, but I think the future of Australian rugby is with the guys who are there at the moment."
JAKE WHITE PAYS UP
The Brumbies have scored a massive win off the field, with former coach Jake White agreeing to pay the remaining $27,900 of his Canberra exit fee. The Brumbies filed papers in the ACT Magistrates Court with the final fee of White's payment still owing. He had until Friday to tell the club whether he would pay the cash. White had a clause in his contract stating he would not coach a rival Super Rugby teams if he quit the Brumbies. He quit his Brumbies contract just two years into a four-year deal. The fee to get the clause removed and join the top of the table Durban Sharks was $175,000. But the Brumbies feared White wouldn't pay the final $27,900 and served him with court documents when he was in Canberra in May. But White's management contacted the Brumbies last week to tell them they were happy to pay.
LEHMANN A MOORE FAN
It seems potential Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore has friends in high places. The latest man to sing Moore's praises came from an unlikely source – Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann. Lehmann was in Canberra on Friday as a guest speaker at the Brumbies' State of the Union lunch. He told those attending that Moore was his favourite player and then asked if the star hooker was in the crowd. Moore is poised to become the new Wallabies captain when the Test squad goes into camp on Monday. Coach Ewen McKenzie will unveil his new skipper at a press conference with Moore, former Brumby Michael Hooper, James Horwill, Will Genia and Scott Higginbotham the contenders. The Brumbies clearly hit the right note with getting Lehmann to the lunch. He was a hit with everyone, with his stories of Australian cricket's resurrection and from his playing career leaving the crowd in stitches.
CANNONS HEAD TO TASMANIA
NBL hall of famer Cal Bruton is ramping up the Canberra Cannon's revival mission with a trip to Tasmania this weekend. The Canberra bid is pushing forward and is working to piece together a business plan to see if a team is sustainable. "We can't afford another team to fall over on that basis," Bruton said. The former Cannons coach is "quietly optimistic" but admits he also has to be a realist. Bruton said Canberra would struggle as a stand-alone team and officials are investigating ways to link with centres like Wagga Wagga and Albury to spread the load commercially. The plan would take six or seven games to different cities to grow the brand. The bid is bolstered by three NBL hall of famers – Bruton, Herb "the Snake" McEachin and NBA player Patrick Mills' uncle, Danny Morseu. "If we're going to bring a team into the ACT, we're coming to win it, we're not trying to be the new stepchild on the block and get smacked by everybody else. We'll be stepping in to bring a team that's reputable."
SPONSOR SEARCH BEGINS
Canberra's two big sporting teams – the Raiders and the Brumbies – are looking for new sponsors and it's understood both are close to finalising new deals. The Brumbies are investigating options should the University of Canberra opt to change its commitment to the Super Rugby club. The Brumbies and the university officials met last week and have formed a strong bond and will be linked for many years to come with the club to move its operations to the Bruce campus and a $16 million sports hub in the coming weeks. It's understood the Brumbies want to have a major sponsor locked in by September. The Brumbies will go to Singapore this month for a 10s tournament, and might get a chance to chat with multinational corporations. The Raiders are working with Huawei to extend its deal.
LUNCH WITH ENEMIES
What do rival State of Origin coaches do before the biggest game of the year? If you're former Raiders teammates Mal Meninga and Laurie Daley, you catch up for some lunch and share a few war stories. Well, sort of. Meninga and Daley were guests at the Raiders sponsors lunch in Brisbane just hours before the Origin opener at Suncorp Stadium. They were all smiles for a photo with Huawei's director of corporate and public affairs, Jeremy Mitchell. Lucky Mitchell got in early, we don't think Meninga and Daley would have seen eye to eye after the Blues won game one. Or after Josh Reynolds was cleared by the NRL judiciary for a lifting tackle.
RAISING MONEY FOR CEREBRAL PALSY
The Cerebral Palsy Alliance is hoping a day at the races will help raise much-needed money to provide assistance to families, as well as new facilities and equipment. No, they're not planning to bet everything on the grey in race six, but rather raise money and awareness at the TTM Corporation Group Cerebral Palsy Charity Race Day, which will be held at Canberra's Thoroughbred Park on June 13. They hope to raise funds through the sponsorship of races, plus selling tables at a private function within viewing distance of the finishing post. For bookings contact Kellie Hayes on 6123 1400 or at kelly@ttmcorporation.com.
HORNY FOR VAUGHANY
In-form Canberra Raider Paul Vaughan has quickly become a crowd favourite, and some of his female admirers have made their affection very clear with a raunchy banner at recent home games. The banner 'Horny for Vaughany' made its Canberra Stadium debut against Melbourne in round seven, and the prop didn't disappoint its makers by scoring a memorable match-winning try. Locker Room's spies tell us he sat with random fans at a local watering hole when the replay was on later that night, and cheered his own handiwork. "I saw a couple of signs out there [against Cowboys last Sunday] and I told myself I'd go out there and meet the people who made it,'' he said. "I'm pretty grateful, there's one really good sign that I'm really happy about. Hopefully that stays and gets a good run at Canberra Stadium, because I'm really stoked.''