Canberra cricket supremo Greg Boorer has declared he "definitely plans to be involved" in Big Bash ownership, but a rival state official has hit back at the suggestion of moving a team to the capital.
Cricket ACT chairman Greg Boorer has been pushing for Canberra to have its own team in the Big Bash as part of a Cricket Australia expansion, and privatisation of the league is set to open the door for him to take his chance.
But NSW and Victoria have been throwing obstacles in front of his path almost every step of the way and the latest is Cricket Victoria boss Nick Cummins slapping down the suggestion of moving the Melbourne Renegades to Canberra.
Cummins was responding to a story in The Canberra Times, which suggested Boorer should buy the Renegades and relocate them to Manuka Oval.
While there was little detail about the sale when CV and Cricket Australia announced they wanted to offload the Big Bash team last week, Cummins took to social media to say the team must remain in Victoria.
It means Boorer, the founder and chief executive of $17 billion tech company CDC Data Centres, couldn't simply buy the Renegades and shift them up the Hume Highway to greener pastures.
Boorer has been pushing for a Canberra Big Bash team since 2023 and has previously offered Cricket Australia $90 million for a licence.
But he pulled the deal because of the disrespect he was shown by other states in the boardroom.
Now Cricket Victoria has stood in the way of Canberra getting a team - even though they don't want the Renegades.
CV and Cricket Australia would rather have the cash from a sale because cricket's finances are in an unhealthy state.
But that hasn't stopped CV from actively reducing the pool of potential buyers by insisting the Renegades stay put.
Boorer's bulging wallet would drive up the price of the Renegades given the increased competition.
That pool of potential purchasers will instead be limited.
"For the avoidance of doubt, one of the conditions of the Renegades sale would be them remaining in Victoria," Cummins tweeted The Canberra Times.
"They aren't going anywhere."
That will do little to curb Boorer's passion. He purchased the Belfast Wolves in the European Twenty20 Premier League with friends to learn the inner workings of a professional team.
"Yes, I definitely plan to be involved [in Big Bash team ownership]. I have recently purchased a team - the Belfast Wolves ... [we wanted] to get referenceability in preparation for what process Cricket Australia and the states might land on," Boorer said on ABC breakfast on Monday.
Asked specifically if he was looking at "the Canberra Renegades", Boorer said: "it has a good ring to it.
"I think Cricket Australia is motivated to have that licence stay in Melbourne. The opportunity is around future expansion and Cricket Australia is well incentivised to contemplate expansion sooner rather than later. It's exciting times."
Cummins also revealed prospective buyers would need to take on the Women's Big Bash team and keep them in Victoria.
"Yes to both questions," he said.
The CV boss denied insisting on the Renegades remaining in Victoria would decrease the price they'd receive.
But decreasing the competition for the licence is clearly unlikely to get the best price.
Boorer's keenness for a team means he would be willing to pay above market value to get the deal done, therefore driving up the price.
Cummins also claimed a team based at Manuka Oval would be worth "significantly less" than a Victorian team.
But that would only potentially affect the team's price tag after it was sold and not before.
"I wouldn't have thought so," Cummins said responding to whether blocking relocation would decrease the price.
"Big market. Based at the MCG, plus a Melbourne derby is the most valuable game in the BBL.
"It would be worth significantly less based in Manaka (sic)."
When pushed, he admitted the location of a buyer wouldn't affect the price, but insisted there was still "significant interest" in the Renegades.
However, the fact potential buyers know cricket is desperate for money is something that could affect the price.
But not in a good way.
If potential buyers know CV is desperate to sell, then they'll look to lowball them.
"The location of the buyer doesn't determine the price, the location of the team does," Cummins said.
"There is significant interest in the opportunity to own a Melbourne-based BBL team."
The Canberra Renegades has a nice ring to it.
Has Cricket Australia's push to privatise the Big Bash League potentially opened the door for a Canberra team?
The Melbourne Renegades are on the market, with plans for a new owner to be in place for the 2027-28 season.
Cricket ACT chairman Greg Boorer, who is also the founder and chief executive of $17 billion tech company CDC Data centres, has been pushing for a Canberra team for the past three years.
He previously offered Cricket Australia $90 million for a Big Bash licence before eventually withdrawing the offer.
Cricket NSW and Cricket Victoria have actively prevented the ACT from getting its own team.
But could the latter's move to put the Renegades on the market lead to one?
Neither Cricket Australia nor Cricket Victoria's statements on Tuesday said the new Renegades owners couldn't relocate the Big Bash team. It's something Boorer asked about when a Renegades sale was first mooted back in June.
Boorer's bulging bank balance could again come to the fore as cricket continues to be desperate for a cash injection.
The only thing CA chair Mike Baird said they would control was branding and who the investors were.
"CA and its members will maintain control over the most significant aspects of Australian cricket operations, including international scheduling, player availability, the Big Bash Leagues' salary caps, branding proposals as well as the reserve price for a licence to operate that must be achieved, and approval of investors," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
No mention of relocation there. The closest to it came from CV director Shaun Richardson.
"The sales process allows prospective parties to express their interest in purchasing the Melbourne Renegades and demonstrate why they would be the right fit for Victorian cricket," Richardson said.
"There's a clear level of interest both locally and internationally, and we're committed to working alongside Cricket Australia to identify a partner who shares our ambition for cricket in Victoria.
"Private investment will unlock value for reinvestment across Victorian cricket, from the grassroots through to the elite game."
The simple answer for how the Canberra Renegades would be the "right fit for Victorian cricket" is the money from their sale will be reinvested "across Victorian cricket".
Pretty simple really. If Cricket Victoria really wanted the Renegades to be Melbourne-based then they wouldn't be selling them.
Not surprisingly, Cricket NSW has come out in opposition of the sale.
When there was talk of the Sydney Thunder going on the market as part of CA's privatisation push, Cricket NSW was concerned Boorer would look to buy the Thunder and shift them down the Hume Highway to the capital.
The Thunder will play two BBL games at Manuka Oval - against the Adelaide Strikers and the Melbourne Stars - this summer, having started bringing games to Canberra in 2018. The Sydney Sixers will host the Adelaide Strikers in Canberra on January 3, when the club is forced out of their regular home at the SCG due to the New Year's Test.
Given the ACT government pays about $700,000 per BBL game, Cricket NSW doesn't want to lose that money.
The Sixers said general manager Rachael Haynes would not answer questions regarding the club's stance on Canberra potentially getting a Big Bash team of its own, but she did float the prospect of more games at Manuka Oval.
"We're not able to be at the SCG during that New Year's Test period, so it's a great opportunity for us to take our match day to another venue," Haynes said at Manuka Oval on Thursday.
"We're really excited to be in Canberra this summer and definitely open to future opportunities. The Sydney Sixers always, particularly around that New Year's Test at the SCG, need to find a home away from home.
"Venues Canberra, and Cricket NSW have a fantastic relationship together. It was great that we were able to work to bring this match here. We're really excited to bring it to life."
Canberra cricket knows too well we don't always get what we want.
Hopefully, that's about to change.
The ACT government has earmarked five dryland ovals - in Lyneham, Weston, Spence, Narrabundah, and Torrens - for reactivation as sports clamour for better facilities.
Now the government is calling on sporting organisations and recreational users to have their say as officials consider restoring irrigation to the ovals.
Reactivation and upgrades hinge on consultation outcomes and future government funding, but sports have been desperate for action on unused venues after a series of issues - including unsafe turf and vandalism - forced a number of games to be abandoned across Canberra.
Thirty-two sportsgrounds are out of use across Canberra, with The Canberra Times assessing each venue last year.
"The restoration of dryland ovals, which were switched off in the millennium drought, could mean more opportunities for local sporting clubs to support their growth. It could also take pressure off existing ovals and ensure those grounds are of a higher quality through the season," Minister for Sport Chris Steel said.
"It is equally important that the needs of the recreational users of these ovals, the locals who take their dog for a walk or who come down for a kick of the footy, are heard in the future of these sites.
"As we plan for people living within our existing urban footprint this is an opportunity to ensure that we enhance the quality of our existing public and recreational spaces for new and existing residents."
Canberra Raiders fan Tyson Bennett hadn't missed a game at Canberra Stadium since August 1, 2009.
He watched every moment of Josh Papali'i's career on home soil. He was there for the elation and heartbreak of finals. He said goodbye to Alan Tongue and Terry Campese. He welcomed the NRLW and the new breed.
Then the streak came to an end at 206, after Bennett was stuck in transit between Townsville - where Papali'i played his last game on Saturday night - and Canberra, where the Raiders suffered a heartbreaking one-point NRLW loss to Parramatta on Sunday night.
"Filthy I'm missing this one," Bennett said on Instagram.
And that's not all that left him a little frustrated in Townsville. Because a walk around town revealed just how close the stadium - which opened in 2020 - is to the city centre. Bennett called it "another city that just gets it".
And if you think the location - and a decent venue - don't matter, Townsville's stadium is attracting a Rugby League World Cup game featuring Australia, a game between the Socceroos and Brazil, the Rugby World Cup, and a concert line-up including Guns N' Roses and Foo Fighters.
Canberra has a plan to make a plan which might include a mention of a stadium plan.
Love Shuck is "going as good as ever", so it's little wonder why the Todd Smart-trained sprinter has been snapped up for the world's richest race for country-trained horses.
Gundagai slot winner Martin Hay has chosen Smart's Love Shuck for the $2 million The Kosciuszko at Royal Randwick on October 17.
"He's a horse that can race on with a lot of pressure up on the speed or sit back," Smart said. "He's a horse that likes to race fresh."
Barbara Joseph, Paul and Matt Jones' Graceful Ellen has also scooped up a place in the 1200m race, securing the Bombala slot held by Peter Joseph.
Among the first five slots filled is So You Pence, with the Goulburn-based Matthew Dale galloper taking a slot held by Inverell's Tattersalls Hotel.
Canberra's shot at The Kosciuszko comes as the Canberra Racing Club receives a record 28 applications for this year's Community Chest at Thoroughbred Park, which will be held on November 22.
Charities and community groups are competing for their share of a minimum $50,000 fund to support 12 causes close to the region's heart.
