Hudson Young signs new Canberra Raiders contract on eve of NRL finals

The Raiders announced Young's new deal on Friday morning as the team finalises preparations for a knockout showdown with the Newcastle Knights on Sunday.

The deal has been in the works for some time and Young said he wanted to repay Canberra's faith after bringing him to the club in 2017.

The new contract will take his total time in Canberra to 10 years and he's confident he's back on track after a form slump following his State of Origin debut.

"This club means everything to me and my family and it's been home for me since 2017 and I'm really excited to extend my stay," Young said.

"My partner and I are really settled here and I'm happy off the field and on the field, and I'm really excited about the squad we're building. I feel like we're building something really special and that's something I want to be a part of."

"I've worked really close with Ricky [Stuart] and the coaches and the biggest goal is to win a premiership here at the Raiders."

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The timely dose of good news comes as Young finds his form again. He was playing like he had those guilty feet George Michael was singing about in Careless Whisper - he had no rhythm.

The 25-year-old can pinpoint it now. Overthinking lured him into a trap that saw his form fall away with a case of post-Origin blues.

But the Canberra back-rower is confident he is nearing his best as the Raiders head to Newcastle for an elimination final against the Knights in front of a sold-out crowd.

A stellar start to the season saw Young earn his NSW Blues debut but after being left out of the side for game three, if only for a few weeks, his form dipped.

Now Young is vowing to upset the Knights at the stadium he grew up visiting as a kid before forcing his way back into a sky blue jersey next year.

"I was probably overthinking things as to why," Young said.

"You've got to look at your own performance, obviously we weren't winning so there was going to be changes to the team, but that just comes on the back of good form with the Raiders.

"I know myself, I probably fell away there for a few weeks but I feel like I'm getting back to my best now.

"It was a really good experience, stepping into that arena and challenging myself. Not playing game three has lit a fire inside me to get back and to put myself back in that arena and stay there.

"That's been my driving factor at the back end of the year.

"Being from the area, I know what footy means to people in the Hunter. It's the same for me. To go up there and play them, and hopefully beat them, will be a great feeling."

Think Newcastle at the moment and you see Kalyn Ponga's dazzling run of form drawing comparisons to Jarryd Hayne when he carried Parramatta to the grand final in 2009, and Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic two years ago.

You think Dom Young contorting his body to score the most unimaginable of tries while Greg Marzhew steamrolls wingers on the other edge.

But it starts with their forward pack - and Young knows Canberra might as well get their costumes ready for mad Monday if they don't win that battle.

"Obviously they've got a great forward pack. I'm coming up against Tyson [Frizell], I played Origin and was in camp with him as well," Young said.

"He's played World Cups and done everything in the game. To come up against him is always a good challenge and something I thrive off.

"The way he prepares, he's the ultimate professional. The way he conducts himself around training is something I've tried to bring back here and be as professional as I can, and train hard every day."

The Raiders take to the field without a pair of State of Origin middle forwards in Josh Papali'i and Corey Horsburgh - and meet a pair who have worn sky blue in Daniel and Jacob Saifiti.

Emre Guler says taking the upper hand in the middle goes a long way towards winning the contest - but has urged his teammates to go up a gear to make it happen.

"They're obviously two big losses, Red's work rate and Papa's impact. Everyone has to go up a gear, that's collectively, not just the middle," Guler said.

"They've got some big middles, some agile middles, a lot of ball players. It's going to be a big job for us to make sure we're on top of our game and meet them.

"If we win the middle, that's more than half of the game controlled. We've got a big job ahead so I'm looking forward to it."

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