Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has spoken to Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga to push game-breaking backrower Hudson Young being handed an Australian jumper for the end-of-season World Cup squad.
The all-effort Young has emerged as one of the best stories of the season after being axed to NSW Cup for a fortnight in April before fighting his way back into the NRL and dominating on the left-edge for Canberra.
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Young has scored 14 tries in 23 NRL games for the Green Machine this season including a crucial four-pointer to set the Raiders on course for Canberra’s opening weekend of the finals upset over premiership heavyweights Melbourne Storm.
In a sub-plot to Friday night’s sudden death final against Parramatta, Fox League has learned Young and Eels left edge backrower Shaun Lane are on a shortlist of backrowers to win a spot in Australia’s 24-man World Cup squad.
“All the hard work Hudson has done this season has given him a great opportunity to represent at the back end of the year at the World Cup,” Stuart said.
“I’ve spoken to Mal about it openly and Mal’s a fan. He’s been an outstanding team player for us so he’s definitely put his name in the ring.
“Hudson lives and breathes rugby league to the extent I was talking to him about finding a hobby because he was spending too much time just living football.
“He’s got himself a nice partner now which has been great for them because it’s given him a break away from football mentally.”
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The other backrowers believed to be on the Kangaroos short-list include the Roosters Angus Crichton, South Sydney’s Cameron Murray who can play on an edge or in the middle and Penrith’s Liam Martin.
Kangaroos coach Meninga endorsed Young’s versatility and durability as a crucial element of why the Raiders have gone on a run of winning 13 out of their past 18 games.
“He is in the final considerations. We have a great line-up of edge backrowers. Hudson’s form at the back end of the season has been impressive,” Meninga said.
“There will be and have been some deep conversations about this position. I believe adaptability is important on long tours for example edges who can play middle and adjust to centres in games where needed.
“He certainly fits that mould of player.”
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D-DAY FOR MOSES AS EELS FACE FIGHT TO RETAIN STAR DUO
It’s D-Day for Eels halfback Mitch Moses in Friday night’s elimination final against the Raiders.
Moses’ finals record reads exactly the same as coach Brad Arthur’s – two wins from nine appearances in the blue and gold dating back to 2017.
There’s no question Moses is an immensely talented no.7 with a brilliant all-round kicking game who was a huge part of the Eels finishing in the top four.
But the knock on the Parramatta playmaker has always been he’s an outstanding front-runner when the Eels pack are rock and rolling but force him into the grind as Penrith did last week and he can get found out.
Last week Moses was up against Panthers powerhouse Viliame Kikau, on Friday night it’s the in-form Raiders backrower Hudson Young.
It’s not just on the field where the Eels are facing some upcoming challenges, either.
Beyond the Raiders they’ve got a fight on their hands surrounding the contract negotiations of Moses and five-eighth Dylan Brown.
Both are free agents as of November 1 and rival clubs have already been sounded out about both.
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SOUTHS’ CHEEKY DIG AT ROOSTERS
The South Sydney Rabbitohs couldn’t resist taking a tongue-in-cheek jab at Venues NSW chairman Tony Shepherd about openly supporting the Sydney Roosters at the launch event of the new Allianz Stadium.
Now that the Roosters are out of the finals the Bunnies have sent Venues NSW a South Sydney supporters pack containing a scarf and a jumper to cheer for the Bunnies for the remainder of September.
Shepherd caught plenty of Souths powerbrokers off guard when he signed off his opening night speech at Allianz Stadium with: “Go the Roosters”.
The Venues NSW chairman was also proudly sporting a Roosters scarf at the round 25 event when the Tricolours upstaged the Bunnies.
ROOSTERS YOUNG GUN’S TOUGHNESS REVEALED
There’s an old saying in rugby league about the best players being able to play hurt.
Sydney Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves wasn’t the only Tricolours player who played through the pain barrier in last Sunday’s loss to South Sydney.
Young gun halfback Sam Walker also picked up a fracture in his arm and will require six weeks for the break to heal.
With James Tedesco ruled out of the match with concussion, Daniel Tupou ruled out at halftime with a groin injury and the Roosters already stretched in the outside backs, the Roosters rookie showed plenty of grit to get through the game against the Bunnies.
LEGENDS SUPPORT SOUTHS’ FINALS CHARGE
South Sydney champion Sam Burgess was at Redfern on Wednesday where the 2014 Clive Churchill Medallist spent time with Rabbitohs patriarch George Piggins in the stands at Redfern.
Piggins bleeds red and green as much as any player who’s ever worn the jersey and his close mates still like to get him out to the Bunnies spiritual home as often as possible.
Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Tom Burges and a host of other South Sydney stars were only too happy to come over and say g’day to George.
Piggins would have loved the way the Rabbitohs took the game up to their arch-enemy foundation rivals the Roosters in the opening week of the finals.
Clive Churchill medallist Burgess was in Coffs Harbour for the Bunnies showdown against arch-rivals the Roosters last Sunday but will be attending Saturday night’s elimination final against Cronulla.
