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| Tommy Raudonikis | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tommy Raudonikis |
| Fullname | Thomas Raudonikis |
| Birth date | 13 April 1950 |
| Birth place | Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia |
| Death date | 7 April 2021 |
| Death place | Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia |
| Height | 173 cm |
| Weight | 82 kg |
| Position | Halfback |
| Club1 | Western Suburbs Magpies |
| Year1start | 1969 |
| Year1end | 1975 |
| Club2 | Newtown Jets |
| Year2start | 1976 |
| Year2end | 1982 |
| Teama | New South Wales |
| Yearastart | 1971 |
| Yearaend | 1980 |
| Teamb | Australia |
| Yearbstart | 1971 |
| Yearbend | 1980 |
| Coachteam1 | Newtown Jets |
| Coachyear1start | 1985 |
| Coachyear1end | 1988 |
Tommy Raudonikis was an Australian rugby league halfback, coach and media personality known for his combative playing style, leadership, and influence on New South Wales Rugby League culture. A prominent figure in the 1970s and 1980s, he captained and represented New South Wales rugby league team and Australia national rugby league team, while later coaching clubs and appearing in Australian sports broadcasting. His career intersected with major clubs, tours and personalities of rugby league history, marking him as a polarizing and celebrated figure.
Born in Bathurst, New South Wales, he was of Lithuanian-Irish descent and raised in regional New South Wales. He moved to Wollongong during his youth where he played junior football before drawing attention from Western Suburbs Magpies scouts. His upbringing in a working-class community echoed the paths of contemporaries from Sydney and the Illawarra region, and he developed a reputation for toughness and tenacity influenced by local club competitions and family sporting traditions.
He debuted for Western Suburbs Magpies in 1969 and quickly became a defining halfback alongside prominent forwards and backs of the era, including teammates and opponents from Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, St. George Dragons, Balmain Tigers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, and Parramatta Eels. During the early 1970s he helped Wests reach finals and was part of high-profile contests against clubs coached by figures such as Ken Arthurson and captained by players like Graeme Langlands and Bob Fulton. In 1976 he transferred to the Newtown Jets, where his partnership with key playmakers influenced Newtown’s resurgence and rivalries with Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Eastern Suburbs Roosters.
His selection for representative duties began in 1971 with New South Wales and continued with selection to the Australian national rugby league team for domestic and international fixtures, including test series against Great Britain national rugby league team and tours involving France national rugby league team and the New Zealand national rugby league team. Known for his gritty defence, tactical kicking and leadership from the scrum base, he epitomised the era’s tough halfback role shared by peers such as Ron Coote and Arthur Beetson. He played through changes brought by administrators like Kevin Humphreys and during the expansion of competitions overseen by the New South Wales Rugby League.
After retiring as a player he coached the Newtown Jets and later had roles with other clubs and junior development programs tied to the rugby league landscape involving NSW Country pathways and metropolitan clubs. He worked alongside coaches and administrators including Wally Lewis-era contemporaries and joined broadcast teams covering State of Origin series and NSWRL fixtures. His media presence included strong opinions on coaching, refereeing and player welfare, often debating figures from Australian Rugby League Commission-era discussions and engaging with sports programs that featured commentators like Andrew Johns and journalists associated with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph.
He earned selection for New South Wales rugby league team across multiple seasons and captained sides in representative fixtures, contributing to contests that shaped inter-state rivalries prior to the formalisation of the modern State of Origin series. Internationally he won caps for Australia national rugby league team in test matches and tour games against Great Britain national rugby league team and France national rugby league team. His service to the sport was recognised by club life memberships and inclusion in retrospective honours lists compiled by institutions such as the National Rugby League and historical committees associated with the Australian Rugby League heritage. He received accolades in club roll-of-honours at Western Suburbs Magpies and Newtown Jets and was celebrated in retrospective media features alongside legends like Darren Lockyer and Mal Meninga.
He was married and had children, living for many years in Wollongong and maintaining ties to regional communities including Bathurst and the Illawarra. His family background included Lithuanian heritage that he occasionally discussed in interviews with Australian publications and broadcasters. Off-field he was known for a forthright personality, friendships and feuds with high-profile players and coaches from clubs such as Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and for mentorship roles with younger players in NSW Country and metropolitan junior systems.
He publicly disclosed health struggles in the 2010s, receiving treatment for motor neurone disease after a diagnosis that was widely reported in Australian media and commented upon by rugby league figures including former teammates and officials from New South Wales Rugby League and National Rugby League circles. His condition prompted tributes from clubs, former opponents and broadcasting colleagues, including statements from executives at Newtown Jets and Western Suburbs Magpies heritage groups. He died in Wollongong in April 2021, with memorials held by clubs and coverage by national outlets and sports institutions such as the NSW Rugby League and NRL.
Category:Australian rugby league players Category:Australia national rugby league team players Category:Newtown Jets players Category:Western Suburbs Magpies players