Call it "total disrespect" if you want, but Canberra Raiders rookie Hudson Young is refusing to take a backwards step against the NRL's most imposing forwards.
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Young found himself locking horns with South Sydney star Sam Burgess over the weekend in what one-time Clive Churchill medallist Willie Mason dubbed "total disrespect".
But the 20-year-old Raiders forward says he and Corey Horsburgh's decision to stand tall against one of rugby league's best is a sign they believe they belong in the NRL.
Rest assured Young's reaction will be the same if Jason Taumalolo comes at him when the Raiders host the North Queensland Cowboys at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
"It was a little bit weird, I've still got photos of [Burgess] on my Instagram page," Young said.
"It's always good to go up against world class players, and if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. [North Queensland's] forward pack is probably one of the best in the comp, they've got world class players all over the paddock so it'll be a good match-up.
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"It's good for us younger boys to get the opportunity to stand up without [John Bateman and Joe Tapine] blokes on the field, but they're still in and around the club, helping us younger boys out and giving us a lot of confidence to go out there and perform well.
"The past two weeks, playing 80 minutes has given me a lot of confidence as well and the boys around me are helping out as well. I'm trying to learn as much as I can."
Horsburgh went at Burgess because he thought it would be fun - but Mason seems to believe the Raiders rookies still have a long way to go towards earning their stripes.
"I wonder if some of these Canberra youngsters would be pushing and shoving [Sam Burgess] if they could get a punch in the mouth? Doubt it! Total disrespect," Mason wrote.
Raiders assistant coach Brett White rubbished Mason's assessment of the situation and says it would have been more of an insult had Young and Horsburgh gone into their shells.
"Disrespectful??? Are you kidding ... a couple of young bucks standing up to an old bull. They'll be disrespectful to forwards club if they didn't stand up to him," White wrote.
Young says White's fingerprints are all over his attitude towards the game, as he looks to adopt the same traits that made the aggressive grand final winner "a very tough player".
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
