Hudson Young has been backed to force his way into the State of Origin arena and pull on an Australian Kangaroos jersey "in a couple of years" by the man whose boots he wants to fill.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
English international John Bateman has backed the 22-year-old Maitland product to fill his place in the Canberra Raiders' back-row.
Bateman shifted back home to England to take up a deal with the Wigan Warriors in the Super League, sparking questions about who could take his place in Canberra.
The man himself has gone some way towards answering them by backing Young to shine on the representative stage in the coming years as his NRL ascension continues.
"Hudson Young. The lad will be Origin and Australian representative in a couple of years," Bateman posted on social media platform Twitter in response to a story headlined "How do the Raiders replace Bateman?"
MORE SPORT
Young is set to get his first taste of football this season when the Raiders meet the Sydney Roosters in a trial match at Seiffert Oval on Saturday.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has named a 32-man squad for the NRL trial match, with a host of players also set to feature in the NSW Cup trial against the North Sydney Bears - the Roosters' feeder team - that afternoon.
Raiders co-captain Josh Hodgson is named to make his first appearance since injuring his anterior cruciate ligament in round nine last year against the Melbourne Storm. New recruits Ryan James, Caleb Aekins and Harry Rushton have also been named.
NRL PRE-SEASON TRIALS
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at 4pm; Canberra Raiders v North Sydney Bears at 2pm. Both games at Seiffert Oval.
Canberra Raiders NRL trial squad: Caleb Aekins, Elijah Anderson, Adam Cook, Matt Frawley, Emre Guler, Siliva Havili, Josh Hodgson, Albert Hopoate, Corey Horsburgh, Ryan James, Seb Kris, Dunamis Lui, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Kai O'Donnell, Josh Papalii, Jordan Rapana, Harry Rushton, Curtis Scott, Harley Smith-Shields, Bailey Simonsson, Sia Soliola, Tom Starling, Ryan Sutton, Joseph Tapine, Leo Thompson, Matt Timoko, Semi Valemei, Elliott Whitehead, Jack Wighton, George Williams, Sam Williams, Hudson Young.
Canberra Raiders NSW Cup trial squad: Caleb Aekins, Elijah Anderson, Adam Cook, Matt Frawley, Emre Guler, Siliva Havili, Albert Hopoate, Corey Horsburgh, Ryan James, Seb Kris, Dunamis Lui, Keaton Meads, Darby Medlyn, Brigham Moeakiola, Kai O'Donnell, Harry Rushton, Brad Schneider, Curtis Scott, Bailey Simonsson, Harley Smith-Shields, Tom Starling, Ryan Sutton, Leo Thompson, Matt Timoko, Adrian Trevilyan, Semi Valemei, Sam Williams.
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
