He's excited about the new chapter in his football career with the Hull Kingston Rovers in the UK Super League, but it eats away at Terry Campese that his last game for the Canberra Raiders was a forgettable 54-18 loss to the New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium. Campese suffered a torn abdominal muscle late in the August match and was demoted to NSW Cup for the remainder of the season. Given the uncertainty over his contractual situation at the Raiders, he didn't realise it would be his last NRL game for the club, so the 139-game veteran and captain of three seasons never got to say goodbye to fans. It was also the match where the Raiders wore their novelty Hulk jersey, the biggest selling jumper in the club's history. "That's the last thing people remember me playing," Campese said. "That friggin jumper is sitting in my house too, I can't get rid of it either because my young fella loves it." It would be great to see if the Raiders and fans could rally to give Campese an official send-off, given he never really got to say goodbye at a game. But Campese played down the idea. "There's been millions of better players than myself, I don't think I deserve a big send-off." Campese has lived in Queanbeyan all his life and the move will be a big shock, particularly for mum Lisa. "I moved out of home in 2008 and that was only to the next street. Then it's only been the last two years that I moved again. We talk everyday and she works in one of my pizza shops. She'll probably be relieved the boss is away."

Canberra soccer product Tom Rogic is about six weeks away from resuming full training with his Scottish club Celtic. The exciting Socceroos midfielder has been sidelined with a persistent groin injury that forced him to miss this year's World Cup in Brazil. He had a second operation in September, also ruling him out of contention for next month's Asian Cup on Australia. Still only 21, Rogic has his best football ahead. Given he's been out for the past six months, it's unlikely Rogic will secure a loan deal during the January transfer window. New Celtic manager Ronny Deila has said he won't judge Rogic until he returns to full fitness. Rogic has made 15 senior appearances for Celtic since he joined the club in January last year.

He's working with a hall-of-fame boxing trainer in the US who mentored Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, while his American agent also advises Floyd Mayweather jnr. But if Canberra boxer Steve 'Tough Love' Lovett can achieve his goal of becoming a world champion in the next two years, one of the first people he'll credit is a Canberra stonemason Joe Leahy. Lovett met Leahy nine years ago when they were both training at Erindale PCYC, but Lovett was in serious trouble with his back. "I got hit, and it put me out of boxing for a long time, for nearly a year. I think it started pinching my nerve, I started getting bad pain down my leg and I could hardly walk. I looked like a cripple." Leahy, a stonemason with a history of back issues, took Lovett down to the pool and through a series of stretches that helped him recover. They formed such a friendship that Leahy offered Lovett an apprenticeship as a stonemason, to help fund his boxing career, and converted his garage into a bedroom for the young boxer so he could live rent-free. Back on a break from the US, Lovett is staying in the same garage. "He's almost like another dad to me," Lovett said.

Tampa Bay Rays star baseball pitcher Grant Balfour is coming to The Fort, home of the Canberra Cavalry. Before we get your hopes up too high, Balfour won't be joining the Cavalry bullpen, but the 36-year-old is coming to meet fans when Canberra host the Melbourne Aces on Saturday, December 13. Balfour will present the Ambassador's Cup trophy to the ACT junior club with the most new recruits this season. Balfour played in the 2008 World Series with the Rays, and was selected to the 2013 American League All-Star team. The visit is part of an eight-day Major League Baseball Ambassador tour, where he will also serve as honorary Team Australia captain in the Australian Baseball League All-Star game on December 17.

It's the Canberra school that helped produce first-class cricketers Ryan Carters and David Dawson, now 10 students from Radford College will get the chance to play on the MCG. Boys from the year 5-6 Radford College team have qualified for the inaugural T20 Blast national competition by winning the ACT-Southern NSW title. The kids leave Canberra on Wednesday and have been enthusiastically training at lunchtimes in preparation. "It's great that Cricket Australia is giving kids from all over Australia the chance to compete on such an incredible ground, it is really an amazing experience and I'm sure one they will never forget," said ACT North and District development manager Liz McPherson.