Canberra striker Hudson Young admitted that the 10-week NRL shutdown due to COVID-19 may have been a boon to him after setting a career high to push the Raiders to a 37-8- Loss to St. George Illawarra on Saturday at WIN Stadium.
After missing last year’s grand final due to an eight game suspension with an eye injury that sidelined him until June, Young sustained a knee injury in a pre-season training accident that would put him off for another 14 weeks.
Instead, Young was able to return to Canberra’s sixth round against Manly on June 21 and has established himself as a valuable member of the Raiders by playing on both the left and center fringes.
“COVID actually turned out to be a good thing for me,” said Young.
“Before our first trial, I stumbled upon Whitey [assistant coach Brett White] while exercising and did some cartilage damage. That resulted in bruising, so I believe I was in rehab for about 14 weeks. “
Young scored one try and put on another for English star John Bateman as he carried the ball 196 yards from 22 runs in a 61-minute performance that allowed Raiders coach Ricky Stuart to support Josh Papalii for the entire second half to leave on the sidelines.
“I just had to overcome that fatigue barrier a bit there, but it was probably my best game,” said Young.
“Doing an extra preseason than everyone else made me a little fitter and a little stronger and I just had to change my mindset.
“Obviously absent [the grand final] last year i will always eat until we win one here at the raiders.
“Last year was kind of a write-off and I’m just trying to get that over with and move on now. I know that’s not part of me or what’s in my game so I don’t think about it anymore.”
While Young was arguably the best striker on the field, Canberra’s fifth and eighth Jack Wighton was the best defender as the Raiders made sure they fought for the top four places with six attempts to two wins.
Wighton finished the match with two tries and seven tack pauses to extend his lead as top playmaker in the NRL with 10 tries as the Raiders took control in the second half.
The only bright spot for the Dragons was the performance of rookie winger Cody Ramsey, who scored a goal on his first touch in the NRL, crossed a second try and failed to allow a third before break.
Young answers right back for Canberra
It took the ball 17 minutes for the ball to find its way to Ramsey and he took the opportunity by defeating Raiders against Semi Valemai to score on his first touch in the NRL after a long pass.
Prior to Ramsey’s debut attempt, the Raiders appeared to be at the forefront, having withstood early pressure from the Dragons, who finished the first minute after Corey Norman slumped fifth and eighth, only to be narrowly tackled by Valemai become.
The Canberra winger almost had the first try of the game in the 13th minute but failed to hold the final open-line pass from Elliot Whitehead, the second rower.
After giving the home side a 4-0 lead, Ramsey beat Valemai after the Raiders’ rookie picked up a loose ball from the center of St. George Illawarra, Zac Lomax.
Canberra, however, scored just two tackles later when Hudson Young collapsed under the post after a back pass from Halfback George Williams.
First touch. First NRL attempt for Cody Ramsey
Wighton then ended a spectacular attempt after a Williams kick for the Dragons winger Jordan Pereira awkwardly ricocheted into the hands of central Canberra Jordan Rapana, who joined NSW with Tom Starling and Joe Tapine in the 26th minute -Star sat.
With Norman fully eliminated after the restart and captain Cameron McInnes losing the ball near his own line after a bone-rattling tackle from Papalii, St. George Illawarra fans feared the worst.
However, the Dragons could have led at halftime after Ramsey scored his second attempt in the 36th minute after another long pass from Dufty and sprinted 78 meters after stealing the ball from Valemai only to be called back after referee Adam Gee had decided Lomax was out -Page.
Canberra captain Jarrod Croker kicked a penalty goal to put the visitors 14-8 ahead at halftime. There was more drama at break when Gee succumbed to a calf injury and had to be replaced by standby referee Matt Cecchin for the remaining 40 minutes.
The only real chance for the Dragons to score in the second half came in the 43rd minute when substitute support Josh Kerr was stopped by John Bateman and Dunamis Lui.
Raider’s left margin creates a try for Croker
The remainder of the half was a one-way street, with Croker hitting Whitehead in the 45th minute after a perfectly weighted cultivator from Elliott, English rower Bateman 10 minutes later and Wighton making his second attempt in the 61st minute.
In between, the dragons suffered a double blow when Kerr and exchange whore Billy Brittain clashed and tried to attack Young from opposite sides. Both have been sidelined for HIAs.
Valemai scored in the 70th minute and Williams finished the classification with his first NRL field goal two minutes before full time.
Valemei gets one when Raiders keeps firing on the left
