Hudson Young believes his good mate Tom Starling is one of the only Raiders players who can claim to have been playing their best footy in season 2021.
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Josh Papalii said on Tuesday there was only about five players who fell into that category throughout the club's lean start to the year, and Young said livewire Starling was part of that handful.
"I think Tommy, you know what you're going to get out of him each week," Young said.
"He's high energy and he's always going to put his best foot forward and he's been playing well."
Starling has played in seven matches for the Raiders this season, and started at hooker in the last three to cover for the injured Josh Hodgson.
Saturday's clash with Canterbury marks the first time Starling has been named at hooker with Hodgson also in the same 17.
It also marks the first match Hodgson will play since relinquishing the Raiders' co-captaincy.
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"Josh is a world-class player and to have him in the team, it's only going to help us," Young said.
"I'm looking forward to being able to play with Josh again. [He] still has a massive voice around our team and he always will.
"Having him out there, it's only going to help us."
Young said morale was still high among the players, despite five straight losses.
"No one's dropped their head, everyone's been pretty happy to come in here and train and we've had good field sessions," he said.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
