But Sam Williams was also a bit forgetful - needing Canberra Raiders recruit Jamal Fogarty to bring his golf clubs down from the Gold Coast after leaving them there last year.

Not that Fogarty was complaining - he'll continue to tap into Williams' football IQ whenever he can.

As revealed by The Canberra Times last week, Williams has ended his third stint with the Green Machine.

He selflessly didn't want to stand in the way of the young halves coming through at the Raiders - like Brad Schneider.

That being said, he still wanted to keep playing, with the English Super League and bush footy two options for the 31-year-old, who played 107 NRL games - 103 of them for his beloved Green Machine.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart will never forget the time Williams captained the so-called "Baby Raiders" in the final round of the 2020 regular season.

Stuart rested a lot of senior players before the finals, but Williams still led Canberra to a historic win over Cronulla.

"As a player involved with an NRL club it's always nice to have a legacy," Stuart said.

"It's always nice to leave a club with something. Outside of being a 100-game player with the Raiders, Sammy's enjoyed a wonderful career.

"He was a very reliable player. Not always No.1 halfback here, but when he got his position he was very much trusted and relied upon and he did a job.

"One memory I will have of Sam is the game he led a very young bunch of players out to play the last game of the year against Cronulla ... and did a great job.

"He leaves here as one of our favourite sons. He leaves here with a lot of great memories and a lot of great friends."

Fogarty came to Canberra to take over the No.7 jersey - something Williams no doubt had his own eyes on.

But that didn't stop Williams from being a constant sounding board for the former Gold Coast captain.

Williams was the first Raider Fogarty met in person - having brought the Cooma product's golf clubs down from Queensland.

He's left them at the hotel the Raiders were based at for the final eight rounds of the 2021 NRL season after the pandemic forced them to relocate there.

"When I came down I brought them in the truck and dropped it off to him," Fogarty said.

"Him and his wife have been so lovely to myself and my partner and kids.

"He's just one of those guys that's very relaxed, but his football IQ is 100/100. Some of the stuff he sees and speaks about - he really knows his football.

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"For someone like myself to come down and lean on Sammy and ask what he's thinking it was so beneficial for myself.

"Hopefully Sammy keeps popping in and when he does I'm going to pick his brains and see what he's seeing."

Williams has also been a big help to star Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton, who arrived at the club as a bright-eyed 15-year-old when Williams was the under-20s halfback.

Wighton pointed to the way Williams was also ready to do his job for the Green Machine.

"He's been amazing Sammy. He's been a club saviour at times," Wighton said.

"He's been all around the world and he's always come back home. He's going to be a Raider for life.

"He's been a massive inspiration and the way he's held himself - he's never whinged and put his best foot forward whether he's played first grade or reserve grade.

"He's just a true clubman."

NRL ROUND 15

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights at Canberra Stadium, 2pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Xavier Savage, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Sebastian Kris, 5. Jordan Rapana, 23. Matt Frawley, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Adam Elliott. Reserves: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ryan Sutton, 17. Corey Horsburgh, 19. James Schiller. Interchange: 16. Corey Harawira-Naera, 18. Brad Schneider.

Knights squad: 1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Edrick Lee, 3. Dane Gagai, 4. Enari Tuala, 5. Dominic Young, 6. Anthony Milford, 21. Adam Clune, 8. David Klemmer, 9. Chris Randall, 10. Jacob Saifiti, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Mitchell Barnett, 13. Kurt Mann. Interchange: 14. Simi Sasagi, 15. Leo Thompson, 16. Mathew Croker, 17. Pasami Saulo. Reserves: 18. Phoenix Crossland, 20. Lachlan Fitzgibbon.

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