The rising star tested positive for a banned substance as a 16-year-old and was forced to spend 18 months on the sidelines.

A store-bought supplement surely couldn't contain any banned substances, so thought a teenager rising through the ranks. It was a simple mistake Young would come to regret.

For many young kids, it would leave their dreams in tatters, it would leave them feeling empty. But rather than let the desire to play in the NRL wilt, Young could do just one thing.

"It hurt at the start, but I just had to put my hand up and own my mistake," Young said.

"I just had to keep hold of the hope that one day I could play NRL. I always thought if I stuck to it I could do it. I had a lot of people around supporting me to get me to where I am today. My family supported me.

"I obviously made a mistake and learnt from it, so I'll try to move forward. It was always my dream to play first grade. I made a mistake when I was young, so I just had to keep at it and not give up.

"That was never lost. I always thought one day down the track I could play in the NRL but I never thought it would come this soon."

ASADA chief executive David Sharpe has launched a Parents' Guide to Clean Sport in a bid to rid sport of such cases.

The Raiders prospect learnt the hard way buying a supplement in a supermarket does not ensure it is clean - Sharpe says one in five contain a banned substance.

Now Young wants to help those in similar situations. His advice for a start is simple: "anyone that is leaning towards making that decision, make sure you check everything and don't do what I did".

What he did effectively forced him out of the Newcastle Knights system and had Young searching for a fresh start, one came a few hours south.

"When I first turned up in Canberra I hadn't been in a system for 18 months so I didn't really know what to expect," Young said.

"I had played a bit of SG Ball at Newcastle and then went straight into under 20s. [Then-Raiders under 20s coach] Brett White looked after me very well so I was very fortunate there.

"In the first sessions my legs were heavy. It took a while to get back into it."

He found his way back - and then came the nod from Raiders coach Ricky Stuart. Young became an NRL player with his family in the stands.

"It's lit a new fire in the belly."