We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
It's one of the easiest Novembers Jarrod Croker's had in years. And it's the best his body has felt in years as well.
Rather than sweating it up on the training track, the retired Canberra Raiders captain was judging Fashions on the Field at Thoroughbred Park on Melbourne Cup Day.
The Raiders young guns have already returned for pre-season training, while the senior players - like Jamal Fogarty, who was at the track with Croker on Tuesday - will return in two weeks.
In the NRL, the term 'rebuild' is often frowned upon because it signals the prospect of a season littered with indifferent results, and the unpredictability is put down to the inexperience of youth.
Canberra Raiders fans probably need to brace themselves for such a season in 2024 with the departure of Jack Wighton, the retirement of Jarrod Croker, and the impending departures of Jordan Rapana and Elliott Whitehead after the year.
That's a lot of experience heading out the door.
But it's not necessarily a downward spiral. Instead, the departures present opportunities for young players who have been biding their time in the NSW Cup.
Canberra Raiders captain Elliott Whitehead is the "epitome of a Test match player".
The 34-year-old was going to pull the pin on his international career after last year's World Cup, but now it's official.
He'll finish up after England's third and final Test against Tonga - at Headingley on Sunday morning.