UPDATED ex-Raiders captain Jarrod Croker's Canberra home sold

UPDATED:

Ex-Canberra Raiders captain Jarrod Croker’s Canberra home has sold at auction for double the price the family purchased it more than a decade ago.

The Croker’s family home at 20 Buriga Street, in Giralang went under the hammer on Saturday 27 September.

One of the agents selling the home, Croker’s former teammate Alan Tongue, confirmed with CD that the property sold at auction for 1.485 million.

The Croker’s original bought the home for $735,000 in 2014, and had since renovated it.

EARLIER, 11 September:

Home is where the heart is for ex-Canberra Raiders captain Jarrod Croker.

It’s a busy time for the third-most capped Raiders player with 307 games – a team he still works with in a coaching capacity – as the side heads into the finals.

This is all while he is selling his beloved family home.

The four-bedroom house at 20 Buriga Street will go to auction on 27 September at 1pm.

Jarrod lives in the house with his wife, Britt, and two sons, Rory, 5, and Tate, 3.

The former player said emotionally, “home is where your heart is and where your family is”.

“It’s a little bit sad, but you’ve got to look at the big picture; the house was never going to be a forever thing,” he told CD.

“I moved house a few times as a child, and I didn’t remember where I lived when I was three and five.

“There are certainly lots of memories. But home is where the heart is and the family and you don’t think about it until people come through the house, then it becomes a bit real.”

Jarrod said that while the family hadn’t planned where they would move to, it would potentially be up north to Queensland.

“We haven’t got a full plan yet, just sell it first and see how we go,” he said.

“It’s just opportunities for the children at this young age – the children are at the right age to move and it feels like it’s a good time to do it.”

Jarrod said he would continue working with the Raiders following the move – remotely and physically in Canberra – as he still has a year left on his contract.

The Crokers moved into the Giralang home in 2014.

“There are plenty of memories, the children growing up is the main part, it’s a very nice area,” he told CD.

“It is a good spot, close to the city and to Goulburn (nearby).”

Jarrod said they had done a lot of work on the house to make it their own and had great neighbours along the way.

“All those things that you wonder why you’re selling,” he said.

When it comes to the potential buyers, he said one of the special things was the downstairs “man cave” that leads to the entertainment area.

“Where, as the days get longer and the weather gets good, you can open up the doors,” Jarrod said.

And the view.

“You literally look out our front window and my three-year-old says you can see the Telstra Tower,” Jarrod said.

“Sitting out towards Yass, the sunset views are hard to find anywhere else.

“And the big tree out the front has started blossoming, which always looks nice.”

The two agents at LJ Hooker Gungahlin tasked with selling the house are none other than Jarrod’s former Raiders teammates Troy Thompson and Alan Tongue.

“I was really good mates with both of those guys; they were the two leaders at the club when I started,” Jarrod said.

He said he looked up to them then, and now the pair were greatly respected in the community.

Jarrod said while Troy had been in real estate for a while, he wasn’t surprised that “Tonguey” had taken to the industry because he was “successful”, “driven” and a “strong unit”.

Alan, who played 220 games with the Raiders from 1999–2011, including five years as captain, told CD that while he had always taken part in community work during his football career, 12 months ago, Troy asked him to join the country side of things at LJ Hooker.

“I live out in the Sutton region and Thommo helped me when I sold my own property and moved out to Sutton,” he said.

“It was a chance to come and build that side of the business.”

“I’m with Troy in Gungahlin but the Sutton area is a big area of focus for me.”

Alan said he took on the role because it felt like the right time to try something “a little different”.

About the home

With plenty of nature light-filled spaces, the double-storey house has multiple living zones that flow effortlessly, offering the perfect stage for both intimate family moments and lavish entertaining.

Outdoors, landscaped surrounds provide a private sanctuary, extending the living experience and enhancing the sense of retreat.

Positioned in a tightly held enclave, the property offers seclusion, while also providing convenience. It is within a short distance of leading schools, pristine parklands and Belconnen’s vibrant heart is just moments away.

The family home offers a grand master suite with a private ensuite and built-in wardrobe, four spacious bedrooms plus a dedicated office and study, multiple living areas including a theatre, an entertainers deck, a designer kitchen, professionally landscaped gardens with irrigation, and views of the Telstra Tower.

Jarrod Croker’s home at 20 Buriga Street, Giralang, in the heart of Belconnen is up for sale. Read more about it here. Photos courtesy of LJ Hooker Gungahlin.