Canberra Raiders' Hudson Young reveals the NRL star he modelled his game on

If Elliott Whitehead ever had the feeling he was being watched, it was probably Hudson Young. The boom Canberra Raiders second-rower has modelled his game on his co-captain, with the England international reciprocating by taking the Newcastle junior under his wing. It's helped create one of the best second-rowers in the NRL. Young's boom season has him on the verge of being part of Australia's World Cup squad in England at the end of the year. He'll also play a crucial role in the Raiders' chances of progressing past their elimination final against the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne on Saturday. The 24-year-old has scored 13 tries, the best haul of his 71-game career, including six in his past four games. It's the second-most tries in the NRL for a back-rower, with only North Queensland's Jeremiah Nanai (17) boasting more. He's shown he's got a full bag of tricks containing flick passes, a match-winning kicking game, athletic tries and a power game. Part of that's down to his hard work in the gym, where Young prides himself on shining, and part down to Whitehead. "Ever since day one I was here Elliott put his arm around me," Young said. "At the start I was probably just watching when he didn't know that I was watching. "I just love the way that he plays the game so I wanted to try and base my game off him. "Whenever I did anything wrong he was always the first to come over and pull me back into line. "If I made a mistake he was always the first to put his arm around me and keep my head up." The similarities between the pair go beyond just being hard-nosed second-rowers. MORE CANBERRA RAIDERS NEWS: Whitehead's been a Mr Fix It for Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, who has used him in the middle, the centres and even the halves when needed. It's a trait Young shares having been a half in the juniors at Newcastle before the Raiders' late recruitment boss Peter Mulholland brought him to Canberra. Current Raiders assistant coach Brett White was in charge of the under-20s at the time and shifted him to the forwards. "I came through down there in the halves so I always tell the coaches here if you ever need me at five-eighth I'm more than happy," Young said with a laugh. "When I moved down here, Pete Mulholland signed me at Canberra, I had 'Whitey' as my coach and I just started in the forwards - too big and slow for that." Young's formed part of a potent Raiders left edge along with Jack Wighton, Sebastian Kris and Jordan Rapana. They'll come up against a Storm right comprised of the returning Jahrome Hughes (calf), Felise Kaufusi and Xavier Coates. It's a contest Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga will no doubt be watching after The Canberra Times revealed he was considering Young for the World Cup. Raiders prop Joe Tapine, who will be a crucial cog in New Zealand's Cup hopes, backed Young to make the Aussie squad. "I feel like he's played well enough to get in that side. I think he deserves a spot there," Tapine said. "The way he plays, he could be off the bench, his impact's incredible. We'll see. "I'll be happy for him if he makes it, but at the same time we'll have to verse each other. I'm excited for him." NRL ELIMINATION FINAL Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Melbourne Storm at Melbourne, 5.40pm. Raiders squad: 1. Xavier Savage, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Sebastian Kris, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Adam Elliott. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Corey Horsburgh, 17. Corey Harawira-Naera. Reserves: 18. Albert Hopoate, 20. Matt Frawley. Storm squad: 1. Nick Meaney, 2. David Nofoaluma, 3. Marion Seve, 4. Justin Olam, 5. Xavier Coates, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Jahrome Hughes, 8. Jesse Bromwich, 9. Harry Grant,10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona, 11. Felise Kaufusi, 12. Kenny Bromwich, 13. Josh King. Interchange: 14. Brandon Smith, 15. Tui Kamikamica, 16. Trent Loiero, 17. Chris Lewis. Reserves: 18. Young Tonumaipea, 19. Jordan Grant. We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: