Hudson Young has reportedly signed with the Chiefs, and the ticking clock is now thirty seconds to midnight on his career at the Canberra Raiders.
Young has signed on for two years and a bucketload of tax-free cash, according to Code Sports. This is a surprise to no one. We’ve been following this saga for months now, and while at times it’s looked like it might be tempted into other directions, his actions, combined with those of the NRL, have backed him into a corner.
In the end Huddo had to take the Chiefs money. There was no comparable alternative. Gone was the Raiders $1.1m a year, frittering away after Young’s management tried to turn an overpayment into a robbery. The same ambit claim was put to the Knights, per the Canberra Times, who must have wondered why a team with a tight cap and three excellent backrowers would pay Hudson Young more than Kalyn Ponga. No other parties have come forward, at least publicly.
Hudson was left with little option but to take the cash at Papua New Guinea. Given he was still seeking to stay in Australia even after the Raiders pulled their offer, there’s enough smoke to think this wasn’t his preferred outcome.
There are questions for the league here. I presume they’ve held fast on their promise to make the Chiefs pay him $1m a year. If not, the legitimacy of the salary cap system is at stake. More broadly this continues to represent a challenge for the equity of the league. It’s the second time the Raiders have offered the world to talent it developed, only to have it rejected. Perhaps the NRL needs to think more broadly than just how it can make sure the Chiefs are a success.
The only question now is what’s next. Smart historians will tell you nothing is inevitable, but the end of Young’s time at Canberra is probably as close as you can get. Coach Stuart has already flagged he’s happy for him to leave, and it seems there’s a desire to remove the bitter taste from this whole process.
The challenge here is that not only does Hudson have to request this, there has to be a place for him to go. It would be a risky decision for a club to take a single year of Hudson when he’s coming from a late season Achilles injury. There’s no guarantee he’s on the field to start next season, and many have noted that Achilles injuries in particular have a longer lead time until an athlete returns to their best.
Who would want to pay his significant contract just so they can watch him rehab, and return to his athletic peak just as he’s leaving the club? Many will note the loans of Jerome Luai and Jonah Pezet to Parramatta. The difference is those players were not coming back from major injury.
As we’ve seen in the past there’s a point with Sticky at which there is no return. Evidently Hudson has hit that recently, like George Williams before him. Perhaps it takes the Raiders eating some of his wage. Perhaps a desperate team comes knocking in January. Maybe Sam Ayoub convinces someone to take him at full value.
However it ends, it’s becoming clear that Hudson Young has played his last game in Canberra. The clock is ticking. The dream is over. We’re just waiting for the bells to chime.
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