Excuse me Mr Barr? Can we have one? Please? Pretty please?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Driving up O'Connell Street in Parramatta - it's impressive! You can just picture it sitting there in Civic as you walk across the road from the casino. Or towering above as you crawl through traffic down Parkes Way.
Then you get inside. And it's even better. From the top of the stand it feels like you're almost directly above the sideline. Could throw a jaffa to the players on the bench.
Everything's shiny and new. The they dim the lights and the pre-game entertainment kicks off. I'm pretty sure it was Beyonce. Well, as far as I know.
It seems every fan can see everything. Everything.
The only problem was the drizzle coming in through the hole in the roof. Probably need to fix that Mr Barr when you're building Canberra's version of the Parramatta Stadium.
Thirty thousand seems about the perfect size. Maybe a bit smaller. Twenty-five?
But the steep angle is stands is perfect. Might even make it fit better and cause less trouble in rerouting Parkes Way.
You'll see for yourself when you come to the ACT Brumbies-NSW Waratahs game on Saturday night. Sweet as.
Well, now that's all settled, probably start building on Monday. Hang on, that's a public holiday. Best not rush it. Make it Tuesday. You're welcome.
Is ScoMo gonna show?
The invite's gone out. But will the PM come? Come on Scott Morrison, you know you want to.
A chance to see your beloved Cronulla Sharks take on the mighty Green Machine at Canberra Stadium on Thursday night.
Also see what those hardened Raiders fans endure year after year. Scraping the frost off their ears after half-time. Heating up their beers to make them cold.
It'll also give Raiders boss Don Furner the chance to get in your ear about the aforementioned new Civic Stadium. Maybe throw a bit of moolah our way.
You know you want to.
What a warrior
If Mad Max didn't already have it taken, you could call Josh Papalii the Road Warrior. So I guess just Warrior will have to do.
Off the field he's the quietly spoken young man with a big heart. On the field he's the quietly spoken young man with an even bigger heart. What a machine he is.
Just two days after backing up from helping lead Queensland to a win in Origin I, Papalii ran for 170 metres.
Yep that's right, that ain't no typo. What a machine.
Brings up the century in style
His 100th NRL game was not only a long time coming - 11 years in fact - but it also slipped under the radar having spent three weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury.
But he celebrated it by getting on the end of a cracking try.
Aidan Sezer made a brilliant brake through the middle on the fifth tackle, grubbered for the corner for Nick Cotric to soccer ahead to the flying Rapana.
Is that the beginning of "Copana"? Or is it "Rapric"? Now that "Leipana" is out injured.
It's not soccer it's football
Inspired by Liverpool's Champions League triumph? Or just the influence of the lime green Barmy Army? Either way, who cares! It's working for the Green Machine.
Their first three tries involved deft little kicks with two of their Poms playing a role in two of them.
First Elliott Whitehead produced a deft little flick of the foot for Bailey Simonsson to race away and score the opener.
Then After Sezer grubbered for the corner, Nick Cotric, who played soccer as a kid, soccered ahead for Jordan Rapana to run onto.
Thirdly, John Bateman got in on the act for a two-metre grubber to create the break right on half-time.
Double tackle
Defence has been the focus this season for the Raiders and coach Ricky Stuart would've liked what he saw on Friday night.
They scrambled brilliantly, in one play especially where both Jack Wighton and Bailey Simonsson made brilliant try-saving tackles.