The Original TOMMY TURBO

As the NRL finals kick into gear this month, we take a look at one of the toughest and most controversial, both on and off the field, rugby league legends to ever play the game. There was only one TOMMY RAUDONIKIS…

- IAN COLLIS & ALAN WHITICKER

“I MADE SOME BAD MISTAKES IN THE FINAL COUPLE OF YEARS AND ONE OF THEM WAS LISTENING TO OTHER PEOPLE RATHER THAN BACKING MY OWN JUDGEMENT.”

There have been few more tenacious players in the game of rugby league than Tom Raudonikis. An inspirational captain who often took on players twice his size, his whole-hearted attitude on the playing field earned him the name “Tom Terrific” in the 1970s. Tommy played 201 games for the Western Suburbs Magpies during the decade, as well as winning the Rothman's Medal (rugby league’s highest player honour at the time) for Best and Fairest Player of the 1972 season. Raudonikis went on to play 29 Tests, including nine World Cup appearances, during his international career, but his efforts for the New South Wales Blues and at club level were equally inspirational. Extremely competitive, both on and off the field, Raudonikis regularly delivered the goods when called upon to produce that “something extra”. In 1995, he returned to Sydney as coach of the Magpies after a long career in Brisbane. In only his second year as coach of the club, Tommy led Wests back into the play-offs in the 20-team ARL competition. The following year he coached the NSW Blues to State of Origin success. This edited extract from new book TOMMY, The Extraordinary Career of Tom Raudonikis, by Ian Collis & Alan Whiticker gives an insight into the man, the myth and the master.

“CATTLE DOG!”