Our journey in picking the Raiders Greatest Team in the National Youth Competition continues as we take a look at the options at hooker.
Contenders: Matt McIlwrick, Travis Waddell, Zac Woolford
Molyneux - “Two hookers really stood out. McIlwrick and Waddell. I’ve picked McIlwrick mainly because of his longevity in the U20s. I think he was one of the most capped players in the competition. He started at a very young age and accrued himself well throughout his time in the 20s side.”
Mulholland – “The hooker is Travis Waddell who was a pretty underrated player when we were both at the Newcastle Knights.”
Hamilton – “I’ve gone with Travis Waddell. Not only was he incredibly tough, he was crafty too.”
Final Choice:
Travis Waddell
40 appearances, 2008-2009
Part of the 2008 Premiership winning squad, Waddell as a part of the Raiders NYC team for two seasons.
During this time, Waddell was named at hooker in the 2009 NYC Team of the Year, despite not playing every game that season due to being called up for First Grade.
The Queensland born hooker went on to play four years of First Grade for the Raiders, making over 50 appearances during this time.
Waddell went on to represent the Newcastle Knights, Brisbane Broncos and also made four appearances for the Indigenous All Stars.
Canberra Raiders Greatest NYC Team
1. Josh Dugan
2. Edrick Lee
3. Jarrod Croker
4. Jack Wighton
5. Nick Cotric
6. Anthony Milford
7. Sam Williams
8. Paul Vaughan
9. Travis Waddell
10. Shannon Boyd
11.
12.
13.
Bench
14.
15.
16.
17.
Tomorrow we take a look at some quality options in the second row.
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.
