Canberra Raiders star Hudson Young admits he hasn't been playing to his usual standards in recent weeks, but after the bye, he is determined to rediscover the form that earned him a Blues jersey just last month.
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Young picked up a grade one groin strain playing for NSW in the State of Origin opener on June 5, and though he's been able to play in subsequent games for the Raiders, the 26-year-old has been far from his best.
But with two weeks on the sideline Young is confident he can help lead the Raiders to a strong finish to the season - and even finals footy.
"I've carried the injury for a couple weeks, and it's just been getting worse every game, so we decided to miss [the Knights game] and hopefully I'll be back for Warriors here at home after the bye," Young said.
"I did it during that Origin game. I didn't want to show it too much and it's gradually gotten worse.
"Coming into the back-end of the year, we're starting our run now and want to get some wins on the board. I'll use the week to get my body right."
The Raiders' finals hopes should be hanging by a thread after a four-game losing streak, but remarkably they're still well in contention with only two points separating eighth and Canberra's spot on the table, 11th.
The fifth-placed Bulldogs are just four points ahead of the Raiders.
The coming weeks playing at home present a prime opportunity for Canberra to make up some ground on the NRL ladder too, facing teams sitting below them in back-to-back rounds - the Warriors and Rabbitohs.
![Canberra Raiders' Hudson Young. Picture by Keegan Carroll Canberra Raiders' Hudson Young. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/5366eba0-4a79-44b4-9afc-390b5ee98f1a.jpg/r0_547_4895_3401_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Young believes he can come back from his injury setback in better form than ever exactly when his team need it most.
"That's what I plan to do and what I'm training hard for," he said.
Young is also hoping a little bit of luck can also finally start going Canberra's way after a rocky season of injuries, constant squad re-shuffles, and tough on-field calls.
"The NRL is a rollercoaster and we ride the highs and lows," he added.
"We're disappointed. Over the last two weeks we spoke about how we want to get back to the way we started the season with that grit, determination and drive to win.
"We've showed that the past two weeks, but we're not getting the result, so we've got to keep working."
![Hudson Young at Raiders training. Picture by Keegan Carroll Hudson Young at Raiders training. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/50c9a3ca-524a-41c1-b547-a3a770481561.jpg/r0_232_3481_2197_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
NRL ROUND 20
Friday, July 19: Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors, Canberra Stadium, 8pm.