Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is adamant his former teammate and current Australian Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga needs to pick Green Machine back-rower Hudson Young after the in-form big man continued his impeccable recent form against Manly.
Young was sensational, scoring two tries, breaking five tackles and gaining 122 attacking metres in just 58 minutes. He’s now scored five tries in his last five appearances.
He has been a key component in the Raiders’ recent run of six wins in seven outings, taking them into eighth spot and placing their finals chances firmly in their own hands.
“If he keeps playing like this it’s going to be hard to hold him out,” Stuart said after the 48-6 win.
“I know Mal’s a fan of Hudson’s, but he’s been consistent all season. I’m biased with (my players) but absolutely he should be picked in that squad."
While his competitors – including Cameron Murray and Liam Martin – are more than capable, Young has taken his game to the next level this year, with a career-high for appearances in a season.
To further demonstrate his improvement, he’s more than doubled his previous-best try haul, with 11 to his name and the likelihood of more to come.
“I’ve been so happy for him because he’s just a footy nut,” Stuart said.
“He loves it. Every day. I’d love nothing more than see his name get read out at the end of the season.”
Stuart cited an improvement across all areas as the reason for Young’s rapid revival – with noticeable improvements in many key areas including athleticism, offloads and strength taking him to the next level.
“I love coaching him and I know the boys love playing with him, but he works extremely hard at his game,” Stuart said.
“That’s not just fluky. He works extremely hard at all areas of his game. He takes it very personally.”