Raiders legend Jason Croker has called for Hudson Young to start for the NSW Blues after an irresistible opening to the NRL season.
The edge forward has been one of the form backrowers throughout the first eight rounds of the year and is on track to add to his three State of Origin appearances.
Young has played a key role in Canberra's rise to third on the ladder and can make a statement to NSW coach Laurie Daley when the Raiders take on Melbourne in the final game of Magic Round on Sunday night.
Young shines
"You see the backrowers who are playing and it's tough to get into the NSW side," Croker told ljmpta.com. "I'm sure Hudson will be in there somewhere.
"It's the best I've seen him play and if he picks up a Blue jersey he's better off starting. He's an 80-minute player so needs to start.
"Hudson's just got to keep doing what he's doing. He can't do much more, he's scoring tries, making plenty of carries and defending well. What more can you do? I have no doubt he'll want to have a good game against Melbourne."
While he has played in three Origin matches, Young has struggled for playing time as an edge forward.
On debut in Game 1 of the 2023 series, the forward was replaced by Cameron Murray after 30 minutes and didn't get back on the field. He managed 62 minutes in Game 2 of that campaign before receiving just 23 minutes off the bench in last year's series opener.
Hudson Young absolutely flattens Turbo
Such is the depth of the NSW back row stocks, Daley faces a challenge in formulating a combination that maximises each of the players he picks.
Young, Jacob Preston, Liam Martin, Angus Crichton and Haumole Olakau'atu are all 80-minute players, and the coach acknowledged he has a difficult decision to make in the coming weeks.
"There is a lot of depth in the back row," Daley told ljmpta.com. "There's a lot of depth out wide as well if they're all available. There will be some tough conversations and debate about who we think will be in those positions.
"I'd rather have that than the alternative where you're looking around for players. If you've got a lot of good players, which we have in those positions, it's a good position to be in."
The Raiders have been among the surprise packets of the NRL season, riding a dominant pack to produce a series of entertaining victories.
Match: Storm v Raiders
Round 9 -
home Team
Storm
4th Position
away Team
Raiders
2nd Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Young has been joined by English duo Morgan Smithies and Matty Nicholson, former Queensland representative Corey Horsburgh and veterans Joseph Tapine and Josh Papalii in blasting opposition packs off the park over the past two months.
Horsburgh's resurgence has been particularly impressive after he was banished to NSW Cup for large portions of last year. The prop is averaging 137 running metres per match while maintaining his fierce defensive presence and is banging on the door of a Maroons recall.
If results go their way, Canberra can climb to the top of the NRL ladder with a victory over Melbourne on Sunday night. It would also mark their first 7-2 start to a season in 22 years.
Horsburgh can do it all
While the Raiders have flown under the radar, a win would send a major statement to the rest of the competition that they are a force to be reckoned with.
One of the club's greatest players, Croker was a key figure in the 2003 charge to the top four and said the current side has the perfect mix of youth and experience to enjoy similar success.
"They've got a good balance there of old and young players," he said. "The younger guys have a fair bit of experience now and are going really well.
"You can see in the way they're playing, they're playing with confidence, throwing the ball around and being creative.
"They're still pretty young but they've been around for a while now. As long as they all stay nice and healthy, the team should be focused on getting to the semis and then we'll see what happens after that."
