Locker Room: Headgearing up for Canberra Raiders captain Jarrod Croker's 300th NRL game

If it wasn't a Canberra official hunting hundreds of headgears for a giveaway, it was Jarrod Croker's mates chasing a few freebies to wear in the crowd when the Raiders captain plays his 300^th NRL game.

The phone at Madison - the Queensland-based protective sports gear company that supplies Croker with his trademark white headgear - has been ringing off the hook over the past few weeks.

Raiders officials were hoping to get their hands on a few hundred headgears to give away to fans at Canberra Stadium next Friday night, while Croker's mates wanted some of their own to wear.

But Madison staff have been gutted to knock back the requests, adamant they wish they could play their part for a player intrinsically linked with their gear.

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Madison has never been so low on stock. So what do they put it down to? Well, other than the box of 12 headgears they sent to Croker last week which should get him through the rest of the season, Madison staff put it down to the rise of concussion concerns.

Staff admit it's a good thing from a sales perspective, but admit there is a hint of sadness they've gone so low on stock just as Croker - who goes through up to 30 headgears per season - prepares to become the second Raider to reach 300 games for the club.

Mention Croker and the two images that usually come to mind are his headgear and him kicking goals. So, headgear might be off the cards as far as giveaways go - but kicking tees aren't.

Goalkicking maestro Daryl Halligan has donated 300 kicking tees which Raiders officials plan to give to the mini-footy kids and other youngsters in the crowd.

The Raiders are selling commemorative tees and stubby holders at the game, as well as giving away up to 5000 Croker300 banners.

Canberra fans will jump at any opportunity to celebrate the milestone. The Raiders dished out 200 red wigs for Alan Tongue's 200^th game in 2010, while ACT Brumbies crowds have been littered with George Smith and Stirling Mortlock face masks.

The Canberra Times is getting in on the action with a cartoon from David Pope, so keep an eye on the site and paper next week.

The clock is ticking for Canberra's A-League bid leaders as they hunt for $25 million to finally ignite their top flight ambitions after years of false dawns.

The Australian Professional Leagues signalled in March their intent to expand the men's competition to Canberra, giving bid director Michael Caggiano a rough timeline of three months to fund a $25 million licence.

Caggiano is set to update members and stakeholders within days about the progress of talks with investors as conversations ramp up.

APL officials are in the midst of investor roadshows as they edge towards expansion into new markets.

"You would all be aware the APL have announced their intention for a men's team in 2024-25," Capital Football chief Ivan Slavich said at a tourism forum on Thursday.

"The APL is doing roadshows at the moment. Michael Caggiano is quite involved and we've had discussions with the APL. They need to raise $25 million to have a men's team."

Michael Maguire makes no secret of his desire to return to the NRL's head coaching ranks, so St George Illawarra chief Ryan Webb could do worse than give him a call.

Dragons officials were blindsided by Jason Ryles' decision to reject a four-year deal with a view to joining Craig Bellamy's staff in Melbourne next year.

The Dragons' search for a replacement after axing Anthony Griffin goes on with Dean Young and Ben Hornby the frontrunners while Ryan Carr serves as interim coach.

But surely Maguire is worth pursuing while he works as a consultant to Canberra coach Ricky Stuart.

Maguire orchestrated South Sydney's 2014 premiership - the Pride of the League's first in 43 years - having already led Wigan to a Super League title in 2010 and a Challenge Cup triumph in 2011.

While his record soured at the Wests Tigers, Wallabies coach Eddie Jones tried to convince Maguire to join his coaching staff and oversee Australia's defence ahead of this year's World Cup in France.

But Maguire opted to stay local to the commitment he made to Stuart, though even he has tipped a chance to lead an NRL team wouldn't be far off for Maguire.

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