Saturday serve: A Christmas wishlist for Kyrgios, Raiders and Brumbies

Maybe somewhere amongst the presents is a third-party cheque to help the Canberra Raiders and a new racquet for Nick Kyrgios to get a fresh start in 2019.

Miracles come in all shapes and sizes at this time of the year. The FFA grinch tried to spoil the festive period, but 'tis the season to be merry and dream big.

So it's time to believe, Canberra. If you close your eyes and wish for long enough, there might be a brand new stadium wrapped with a neat bow in Andrew Barr's Santa sack. Or maybe that's just a shiny new tram. Either way, here's our Christmas wish list.

You might not have to wish too hard for this one, because old saint Nick appears to be a new man. Calm, relaxed, engaging and, best of all, happy.

The Canberra tennis star has been back home for almost two months, stepping away from the tennis world to work on himself more than his game.

Sure, the grinch is out there. He'll say it can't be so, that Kyrgios is the same explosive character that has created headlines for the wrong reasons in recent years.

But they didn't see the emotion on his face when he met Loga Gandhi, an eight-year-old who has been battling leukaemia and had a bone-marrow transplant.

They didn't see Kyrgios scramble to find all the gear he could - tennis racquets, hats, balls, shirts - to give to thank Gandhi at an NK Foundation fundraiser.

They didn't see the seriousness in his eyes when he opened up to The Canberra Times and revealed he is now seeing two psychologists, admitting he probably left it too long to take the important step.

Maybe it's the eggnog talking, but this could be the turning point. This could be the moment we've been waiting for, a chance to see another side of the tennis wild child.

The side that shows maturity, stability and calmness. Canberra wants to love Kyrgios. Australia wants to love Kyrgios. He will always have a rockstar element about his work, but the feeling is he's made genuine steps to become a better person and a better tennis player.

That was evident in all of his dealings with the capital's media since he's been back in town. The proof, of course, will be in the (non-Christmas) pudding.

What happens when the heat comes on at the Brisbane International? What happens with that first-round pressure at the Australian Open or a dud line call by the umpire?

It's only then we'll know if Kyrgios has turned the corner and takes the next important step in his career. For now, let's give him a chance.

The FFA must have run out of present ideas for Canberra, because this year they gave us the same thing the did almost a decade ago. Nothing.

The FFA is that family member who promises to get you something at the Boxing Day sales. But you know they're just stalling because they don't know how to tell you the truth.

Canberra's A-League bid team met with FFA officials on Friday, seeking assurances about not making the same empty promises to the capital's soccer fans.

The FFA says it's serious about expanding into Canberra. When? Who knows. How? Who knows. But Michael Caggiano and his bid team are refusing to be sold a dummy.

They believe they've found investors, an overseas sports consortium which looks after well-known teams, who make their bid irresistible. To turn it from a bid into a team will be a real Christmas miracle.

The Raiders to finally break their inconsistent run by forcing their way back into the NRL's top eight and becoming a premiership force.

Things seem happy at Green Machine headquarters. They danced and sung their way through a Mariah Carey classic this week and they unwrapped co-captains in Jarrod Croker and Josh Hodgson on Friday.

Ricky Stuart is facing a testing period. Canberra has made the finals just once in the past five seasons, and this year was hard to watch at times.

The pressure will be on if the Raiders fail to make a mark in 2019. But not all hope is lost. Five of the nine teams above them on the ladder this year have endured coaching upheaval in the off-season, throwing their preparations into disarray.

The Rabbitohs, Sharks, Panthers, Broncos and Wests Tigers have endured drama, so a settled Stuart might have the edge in guiding Canberra back to the top of the tree.

The Brumbies will be frantically unwrapping presents on Christmas morning, but the one they really want is bums on seats next year.

Australian rugby support has dipped to an all-time low, particularly after the Wallabies debacle this year. Super Rugby struggled to win fans and the sport is trying to find ways to take the fight to the NRL and AFL.

What the Brumbies do have is some star power on their roster, a second-year coach ready to make his mark and a renewed hunger to force their way back into the finals.

Unfortunately there's some contract gift-card uncertainty about when they expire. Rory Arnold has already booked his ticket to France after the World Cup and next year might be the last chance to catch David Pocock in Australia.

So yes rugby is struggling in a lot of areas, but 2019 might be the best year to get back into the stands.

The Wallabies are trying to sort out their woes, but the potential sacking of Stephen Larkham isn't the answer. Larkham is believed to have been thrown up as the scapegoat to save Michael Cheika's job.

To get rid of Larkham would be wrong. The Wallabies' attack hasn't fired, but his hands have been tied to a certain degree and the scrambling defence has drained all the spark by the time the team gets the ball.

Although, Larkham getting off a sinking ship might actually be a Christmas present if he pursues overseas opportunities and then returns as a future Wallabies coach down the track.

New stadium in Civic with a roof, which could help the Brumbies and the Raiders win the battle to get fans out of the house and back into the stands.

The project is appearing less likely every week, particularly if the FFA does deliver coal to Canberra's A-League bid. In fact, we might get a white Christmas in Canberra before we get a stadium.