Canberra Raiders stalwart Alan Tongue believes former Albury Thunder star Lou Goodwin will be a chance to make his first grade NRL debut this season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 220-game veteran still has close ties with the Raiders and was rapt to see the winner of the NRL Rookie join his beloved club.
“He’ll be training very hard because they always have pretty big pre-seasons there,” Tongue said.
“He’ll be enjoying the challenge and with games only around the corner, he’ll get his opportunity to show what he can do.
“The Raiders have a great track record of giving younger guys an opportunity.
“They’ve been one of the main clubs that have developed their junior base and brought them through.
“If the new guys buy into the club culture and play some good footy, they’ll give them an opportunity.”
Tongue, who now works for the NRL as an ambassador, was on the Border to promote the NRL Respect campaign, taking the program to 27 local schools and more than 3500 kids.
Former Canberra teammate Terry Campese and Melbourne Storm recruits Brandon Smith and Justin Olam partnered with Tongue for the two-day visit.
Students from James Fallon High School were one of the 27 groups involved, taking some time from their swimming carnival to meet the rugby league identity.
“It’s really important for me to give back,” Tongue said.
“I’ve been very lucky to be a part of rugby league since I was six years old.
“Sharing the messages that I’ve got from rugby league to the rest of the community is really rewarding.”
The visit is part of the NRL Community Carnival, which Tongue believes is a great way to kick-start the season.
“We’ve got players travelling all over Australia and New Zealand and 250,000 kids will get a message through rugby league about well-being and respect,” he said.
“Sport has this amazing way of connecting people and helping share a message.
“It’s not about coming out here and telling them to play rugby league, it’s about us conveying those messages through sport.
“Respect, learn and help are our three key pillars.
“It’s about getting into the schools and using the respect message and getting it into our communities to better them.
“I was lucky enough to come here last year and I know it’s a big sporting town.
“Rugby league probably isn’t the number one code, but I think there is some genuine love for our game here.”
Storm youngsters Smith and Olam were overwhelmed with the impact they had during the visit and are excited for the season ahead.
“Having the chance to learn from Cameron Smith is what drove me to come to the Storm,” Smith said.
