Vaughan presents junior reps with playing jerseys
On the eve of their first match of the season, Raiders forward Paul Vaughan presented the club's Harold Matthews and SG Ball players with their playing jerseys. Just like the aspiring youngsters before him, Vaughan too progressed through the club's junior grades. Vaughan, a Gungahlin Bulls junior, is a fantastic illustration of the support and development provided to Canberra juniors. Vaughan worked hard to ascend through the Harold Matthews, SG Ball and NYC competitions before making his long awaited debut last year. So impressive was Vaughan in his debut year that he was awarded the Raiders' Rookie of the Year Award at the Meninga Medal as well as selection for Italy in the World Cup at season's end. "I remember my days playing Harold Matthews and SG Ball for the Raiders really well and I have a lot of good memories and friends from those teams," Vaughan said. "The Raiders have a great development system and I'm sure you'll see a lot of these kids progress through to the NRL level if they continue to work hard. "I was more than happy to come out and present their playing jerseys to the boys. It's a big honour to pull on the Raiders jumper in any grade and I'm sure that the boys will do themselves and the club proud this season." Both the Harold Matthews and SG Ball sides went onto defeat the Canterbury Bulldogs at Belmore Oval in Round 1.
Canberra Raiders respect and honour the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.