The 42-kilogram junior had just been given the stiff-arm treatment by a much bigger opponent from Sydney who weighed twice as much but was the same age and playing in the rugby carnival.

Some parents thought about withdrawing their children when they saw the size of the opposition. Others bit their bottom lip and hoped their children would use the right tackle technique to avoid injury.

A Victorian rugby league schoolboy almost broke the internet this week when video of him at a Canberra tournament went viral as he left a path of destruction.

If you haven't seen it, it's brilliant watching. There's been 39 million views on a Facebook post and almost 900,000 on YouTube of him palming-off defenders, running over players and showing a neat turn of speed on his try-scoring spree.

This kid has the size, the step, the speed and the skill that most only dream of.

But the video of a kid "playing the game he loves" also sparked debate among parents who get nervous when their smaller child lines up to bigger opponents.

"[My son] wants to play for the Wallabies, he loves rugby and he never complains about anything," one parent said.

"For him to say 'this isn't fun' — my heart sank. It's generally not that much of an issue and usually there are kids who are big enough on both teams.

"People at least need to be aware of it. Some of the parents were very close to pulling the pin [last weekend]."

Former NSW Waratahs player Brad Harrison withdrew his 14-year-old son from a rugby tournament earlier this year because he felt the sport had become too dangerous.

The beauty of sport is that different shapes, sizes and backgrounds can blend together on the field and soak up the enjoyment.

The fine line, parents say, is juggling the safety of their children with the rapid physical development of others.

Some organisations are trialling weight restrictions to better match player sizes to level out the competition. The NSW Rugby League are trialling it and it has been adopted in New Zealand.

There's no clear answer or solution for a concern that has worried parents since the start of junior sports competition.

No one wants to stunt the development of a player who oozes talent, but is bigger than others. No one wants to see children walk away from weekend sport because they're scared or they don't enjoy the size difference.

"You don't want it to leave a sour taste in your mouth. It's not because of the boys on either side, it's because there are no weight or size restrictions," the parent said.

"In Canberra, we're sheltered. But I'm curious why in the big competitions they aren't separated because, seriously, our boys were playing against grown men."

RAIDERS TOUCH HEARTS AS BANDWAGON ROLLS ON

It took 10 weeks to blow up the Canberra Raiders bandwagon balloon but only a couple of seconds to let the air out. That's if you believe the talk about the Penrith Panthers this week.

The Raiders lost to the Cronulla Sharks last weekend in a two-point heartbreaker that hit like a sledgehammer after so much hype and expectation filled the capital.

It took some time for the bandwagon to start rolling again despite the Raiders losing just one of the past 11 games.

Ticket sales were slower, partly due to a change in allocation that allowed members to by 10 each last week, but another full house is expected and it's the behind-the-scenes work that will win the Raiders fans for life, not just a finals charge.

Just seven days after scalpers were selling tickets to the Raiders-Sharks final, there were some touching moments by Canberra fans this week.

One family bought two sets of tickets because both parents jumped online to buy before they sold out.

Instead of reselling the $300 tickets or chasing a profit, Raiders fan Steve donated them to the Ricky Stuart House for a family who would have otherwise not gone to the game.

"I want to personally thank Steve and his family for donating the tickets for Saturday. It's this type of community spirit which makes us all proud to be part of the Raiders," Stuart said.

Another fan donated her spare tickets to Menslink while the Raiders read a Fairfax Media story on superfan Brian Connell and donated a private suite to him and his family.

Connell, 46, has been a long-time Raiders fan and held a sign saying "sucko" to the Panthers after the 1990 grand final, but has been unable to attend home games in the last year or so after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

In the meantime, The Canberra Times has taken the liberty of producing this lovely "Sucko Panthers" poster in honour of Brian's commitment for him to take to Saturday night's final. We, of course, would not encourage anyone to download and print out this high-quality, high-resolution poster, take it to the game and merrily wave it in the face of any and all Panthers supporters. No, we would never do that. Never.