sport, raiders, canberra raiders, nrl, rugby league, josh papalii, nrl charity work, sam williams, canberra raiders bella

"Fly high angel, this year is for you". That angel is Bella, the young Canberra Raiders supporter that passed away last week. The same girl that showed her favourite rugby league team a game of football is just that. It is not the be all and end all, nor will it ever be. Bella showed the Raiders football is more than the hard slog of training capped off by an 80-minute stint on the park each week in pursuit of two competition points. She, like many other kids, will forever serve as a reminder that football is a platform to make a change for the better. Kids like Bella are the ones that make some of Canberra's best players go to visit the hospital off their own bat, just to bring a shimmer of light into sick children's lives. Captain Jarrod Croker, Sam Williams, Josh Papalii, Jack Wighton and Jordan Rapana were among the Green Machine stars that paid visits to Bella in hospital. Together they would sit on the edges of her bed as Bella sat in a Raiders jersey, with club cap and scarf near her feet, and light up her world. While she will no longer be able to rush to the gate to give Papalii a big hug and tell him how well he played that day, her smile will never be far away. Walk into the Canberra Raiders' change rooms deep in the bowels of Canberra Stadium and make a sharp right. There sits Papalii. Behind him, stuck on the walls of his locker, are photos of children - both his and others - that inspire him to be better every day. Among them sits a picture of Bella, and there it will stay until the 26-year-old veteran of 177 NRL games decides to hang up the boots. "I look at my own kids and Bella was the same size as my daughter. She was only 12 and to see a little girl, or any kid, go through that kind of pain, it's really heartbreaking," Papalii said. "I've had her picture up in my locker over the past few years. It's something I do away from footy, I've got pictures of other kids, not just my own kids. It's something that is close to my heart. "It's a very tough subject, but my goal is, once I finish my last game, I want my locker to be filled with [photos of] kids that inspire me, and kids that go through hard times. "I always think I'm going through a hard time or my life is tough, but you've just got to look back at those kids' eyes and it makes me think of the next day and the next kid, and what I can do to help. "She is usually one of the first kids that jump through the gate and give me a hug and tell me I've had a good game. This time I've missed her, but it's something I will remember for a long time. "My condolences and my prayers go out to Eve, Bella's mum, and the family as well." Canberra halfback Williams will always remember Bella as "an important little girl". The way Canberra players embraced Bella is a reminder of just how much good work rugby league players do in the community. They don't seek the limelight for these deeds, instead content to bring smiles to faces of those in need behind closed doors. It is perhaps reflected in the club's bid to embrace the Ricky Stuart Foundation, which now has two respite houses designed to help those with autism and other disabilities. Bonds grew stronger with every visit, and the thought of Bella will never be far from the minds of the Raiders as they set their sights on a return to the finals. Canberra players wore black armbands for Bella in their win over the Brisbane Broncos over the weekend, one that almost took them to the top of the NRL ladder. They will get a chance to move into outright first - or at least keep up with the pace-setting Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs - when they meet Manly at Brookvale Oval on Sunday. Just how they'll do it, Papalii is not yet sure. He took every chance to soak up the win in front of a bumper crowd against Brisbane before setting his sights on the Sea Eagles. One thing he knows for sure is "everyone is just willing to do their job" - be it tackling, scoring, or brightening up someone's day. The Raiders have shocked plenty in the rugby league landscape in their rise up the ranks, but the Green Machine will tell you they always had it in them. Now an angel named Bella has brought it out of them.

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