Its a moment that changed Jarrod Crokers NRL career and one he will never forget.But it almost never happened.Late one Monday afternn in December 2014, the young centre was told he might be Canberras next captain.Coach Ricky Stuart, though, wasnt 100 per cent sure.He told me to go and talk to my old man about it because he knows Im very close with him, Croker said.I did a weight session, went home and was just a bit quiet.Greg Croker, like his son, isnt very opinionated and didnt have much to say.But he said go in there and tell him you want it anyway, Croker told AAP.He was obviously confident Id be able to do it, he wanted me to be positive about it all and let him know I did want to do it.While he had played 140 games over six seasons in the NRL, he was still only 24.He captained the last three games of the 2014 season and won them all, but the Raiders finished second-last.I can understand the hesitation, Croker said.I was such a young player.The next morning, we were heading out somewhere for a promo, and before I even got to really think about it t much, he rang me back and said Na, its yours. I want you to do it.He said he had all the confidence in me and straight away was like Mate, were going to get through it together. Well tough it out, and if theres any dramas well be sweet.He told me to do it my way, it was my job, and that I dont have to change on or off the field for anyone or anything.Im glad he went with me. Its probably the proudest moment of my career.Croker will lead the club in their first preliminary final since the 1997 Super League season, against Melbourne at AAMI Park on Saturday night.He finished the regular season as the leagues highest pointscorer by 91 points - the biggest margin in the NRL era, smashing the Raiders all-time pointscoring record along the way.If he scores four points this weekend, he will become the first centre to crack 300 in a single campaign.Just one point and he will surpass the 2006 mark of Hazem El Masri, with whom he sits equal-third on the all-time list of most points in a season.If Im scoring points, then generally were playing gd fty and were winning games - thats the most pleasing side of it for me. tballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Thomas-Delaney-Jersey/" target="_blank">Thomas Delaney Dortmund Jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. tballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Marius-Wolf-Jersey/" target="_blank">Marius Wolf Jersey . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. tballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Abdou-Diallo-Jersey/" target="_blank">http://www.ftballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Abdou-Diallo-Jersey/ . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and tk bronze in 2005. tballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Manuel-Akanji-Jersey/" target="_blank">Manuel Akanji Jersey . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. tballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Christian-Pulisic-Jersey/" target="_blank">Christian Pulisic Jersey . JOHNS, N. LOS ANGELES -- Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers will have surgery on Tuesday to clean out his right knee, and is expected to miss three to six weeks.The Clippers said the surgery will be a routine arthroscopic procedure to remove lse bodies from the knee.Griffin scored 26 points on Sunday in the Clippers loss at Washington. He is averaging 21.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season, and plaayed in 26 of the Clippers first 28 games.ddddddddddddGriffin is a five-time NBA All-Star. He was limited to 35 regular-season games last season because of an array of injuries.The Clippers open a three-game homestand against Denver on Tuesday, and visit the Lakers on Christmas night. ' ' '