It’s time for us to complete our outside backs as we select our centres in our Raiders Greatest Team in the National Youth Competition.
Contenders: Jarrod Croker, Jeremy Hawkins, Michael Chee-Kam, Brenko Lee, Seb Kris, Jack Wighton
Molyneux – “I’ve picked Wighton in the centres because of his defence. He was one of the most ferocious defenders you could come across in the centres. He had a good running game and a good stepping game. Croker was young during Under 20s but he was always a standout. It’s hard to leave out some of the players listed but you can only have two and they are my picks.”
Mulholland – “The centres pretty much speak for themselves in Jarrod Croker and Jack Wighton. Jarrod being the all-time leading points scorer in our club and Jack Wighton being just a wonderful player.”
Hamilton – “I’ve picked Croker because he's an absolute class act. He’s an underrated player who will score 10 points a game. My second pick is Jack Wighton. He’s as tough as they come and competes during every play.”
Final Choices:
Jarrod Croker
27 appearances, 2008-2009
Croker’s final touch of the football in the NYC was to send Jarrad Kennedy over the line in extra time to claim the 2008 Premiership against the Brisbane Broncos.
Since then, the Goulburn junior has progressed remarkably to become the club captain and the 13th highest point scorer in NRL history.
At only 27 years of age, Croker is already the club’s all-time highest points scorer and third highest try scorer in club history.
Having made his 200th appearance NRL appearance last season, Croker has played the seventh highest amount of games for the Raiders.
Jack Wighton
28 appearances, 2010-2012
Having started his NYC career in the halves, Wighton moved to the centres for the second half of his stint in the side.
Known for his uncompromising defence and ability to set up tries, Wighton has since gone on to become the Raiders fullback.
During his time with the Raiders, the 25 year old has made 117 First Grade appearances for the club and has played representative football for the Indigenous All Stars, NSW Country and the Prime Minister’s XIII.
Canberra Raiders Greatest NYC Team
1. Josh Dugan
2. Edrick Lee
3. Jarrod Croker
4. Jack Wighton
5. Nick Cotric
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8.
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11.
12.
13.
Bench
14.
15.
16.
17.
Tomorrow will be taking a look at the halves in our Greatest Raiders NYC Team.
Panelists Biographies
Barry Molyneux was the Raiders NYC long-serving team manager.
David Hamilton oversaw junior development at the Raiders from before the NYC’s inception in 2008 until 2015.
Peter Mulholland is the Raiders current Recruitment and High Performance manager, having taken over the role after Hamilton’s departure.
