MILESTONE WE’RE ALL CHEERING

Any rugby league fan with half a heart has been willing Jarrod Croker towards game 300. On Friday evening he gets there.

He was on target to reach the goal at Campbelltown last week, but the Raiders were very public in resting their club legend so it would happen at home instead.

Of course, the stage-managed milestone has divided opinion –sentimentalists on one side led by the Raiders’ hierarchy, and ‘muppets’ on the other, as referred to by Canberra coach Ricky Stuart.

Kermit and Miss Piggy raised their eyebrows at risking premiership points for a milestone, criticised a precedent the Raiders may not be able to maintain, and stressed the club and game is bigger than any individual.

Stuart’s argument is mapped out below.

Croker becomes the 48th man into the NRL 300 club.

He’s only the 16th man to do it at one club.

Only one Raider has done it previously – Jason Croker in 2006.

“Everyone thinks he’s my Dad,” Jarrod said this week. “We’re just distant cousins somehow.”

Apart from those figures above, he’s already the club’s leading try scorer (135), goal kicker (888) and point scorer (2316).

No one has captained the Raiders more than Jarrod (162), not even the immortal Mal Meninga who is next best (123). Given his debut by David Furner, Croker has become an affable, measured, contrasting, close confidant to his passionate and emotional current coach over the last 10 years.

After winning an Under 20’s Premiership at Canberra in 2008, Croker played 279 games out of a possible 298 over the next 12 NRL seasons. A long way from the fastest, flashiest, strongest, loudest and best player in the league, the clean skin of the game, camouflaged by headgear, just got the job done.

Hidden Panther

His six Finals campaigns are highlighted by the 2019 Grand Final. Then knee and shoulder injuries threatened to end it all. You know you’re in trouble when the shoulder pops out reaching for the television remote. Many tears were shed. His coach asked him, is it time to give it away?

But the boy who started kicking a football in Goulburn had an ego under such control he was not afraid to play NSW Cup because he loved the game too much to quit. He played only 12 NRL games in 2021 and just one last year. This season, the first five weeks were spent in reserves and the Raiders NRL team languished near the bottom. Then in Round 7, Ricky Stuart’s Raiders included the name J Croker again. The countdown to what seemed an impossible 300 was on. 293, 294, 295… and most of them wins. The Green Machine has only been beaten once since Croker returned this season. And so to game 300, in front of a huge crowd, at home, watched by family and friends, following a Viking Clap that will shake Parliament House. Just the way it should be!

To complete the fairytale Canberra needs to beat the Warriors – a club Croker has scored more tries and points against them than any other.

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