Tommy Raudonikis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tommy Raudonikis
OAM

Raudonikis in c. 1978
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Walter Raudonikis
Born	(1950-04-13)13 April 1950 Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
Died	7 April 2021(2021-04-07) (aged 70) Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	11 st 7 lb (73 kg)
Position	Halfback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1969–79 Western Suburbs 201 30 0 0 90 1980–82 Newtown 37 4 0 0 16 1983 Brothers (Brisbane) 6 0 0 0 0 Total 244 34 0 0 106 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1971–80 New South Wales 24 11 0 0 33 1971–80 Australia 29 5 0 0 15 1972–80 NSW City 8 4 0 0 12
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1976 Western Suburbs 0 0 0 0 1983 Brothers (Brisbane) 1985–1988 Ipswich Jets 1990–1991 Norths (Brisbane) 1995–99 Western Suburbs 114 39 1 74 34 Total 114 39 1 74 34 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 1997–98 New South Wales 6 3 0 3 50

Thomas Walter Raudonikis (born 13 April 1950 – died 7 April 2021) was a famous Australian rugby league player and coach. He played 40 international games for Australia and was even captain in two matches during the 1973 Kangaroo tour. He was known for his tough and determined playing style.

Tommy Raudonikis' Early Life

Tommy Raudonikis was born in Bathurst, New South Wales. His father came from Lithuania and his mother from Switzerland. He grew up in a town called Cowra. Tommy once shared that his mother was pregnant with him when his parents moved to Australia in 1950. He was born at a special camp for new arrivals.

In 1967, Tommy joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He trained there for three years to become an engineer.

Playing Rugby League for Clubs

Tommy Raudonikis played 201 games for the Western Suburbs Magpies from 1969 to 1979. He quickly became one of the best players in the league. In 1972, he won the Rothmans Medal. This award was given to the best and fairest player in the competition, as decided by the referees.

With Tommy as a leader, the Magpies often reached the finals in the late 1970s. They won the 1977 Amco Cup and were the top team in 1978 before the finals. Tommy was a key player in the famous "Fibros versus Silvertails" rivalry against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. This rivalry was made popular by Western Suburbs coach Roy Masters. Even with all their success, the Magpies never won a Premiership during Tommy's time.

After playing for Western Suburbs, Tommy moved to the Newtown Jets. He played 37 games for them between 1980 and 1982. He led the Jets to the 1981 NSWRL Grand Final against Parramatta. He scored a try in that game, but Newtown lost 20-11.

In 1983, he moved to Queensland. There, he was both a player and coach for the Brothers club in Brisbane.

In 2004, Tommy was named in the Western Suburbs Magpies Team of the Century. He was the club captain for Western Suburbs from 1971 to 1979 and for Newtown from 1980 to 1982.

Playing for New South Wales and Australia

Tommy Raudonikis was first chosen for the Australian team in 1971. He made his first start in a game in 1972 against the New Zealand team, known as the Kiwis. He was Australia's main halfback for the next six years. He continued to play for Australia until 1980.

He was the captain of the New South Wales State of Origin team in the very first "Origin" game in 1980. Queensland won that game 20-10. Tommy scored a try late in the game, but it was his only State of Origin appearance.

• Tommy was a key halfback for New South Wales and Australia throughout the 1970s.
• He coached the New South Wales Blues in the 1997 and 1998 Origin Series.
• He is part of the NSW Sporting Hall of Fame.
• Tommy was the captain of the Kangaroos in 1973. He led them to a 15-5 win against Great Britain and a 21-9 win against France.
• He played in 29 Test and World Cup games for Australia.

Awards and Achievements

Tommy Raudonikis in 2008

Tommy Raudonikis received many awards for his amazing career:

• He was given the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1982. This is a special award for Australians who have done great things.
• He was named in the Team of the Century for both Wests Tigers and Western Suburbs.
• He was voted the number one club man for Wests Magpies in 100 years and is a "Magpie Immortal."
• He was voted Newtown's Greatest Import in 100 years.
• He was named one of the "Toughest 12" players in the last 50 years by Men of League.
• He was included in the ARL's "Greatest 100" players in the past 100 years.
• He was inducted into the National Rugby League Hall of Fame as the 75th member.

Coaching Rugby League Teams

Tommy Raudonikis finished his playing career as a captain-coach for Brisbane Brothers in 1983. From 1985 to 1988, he coached the Ipswich Jets. He led the Jets to their first Brisbane Rugby League Grand Final in 1988. In 1990, he coached Brisbane Norths and took them to the 1990 Brisbane Rugby League Grand Final, where they narrowly lost 16-17.

He returned to Sydney to coach the Western Suburbs Magpies from 1995 until 1999. After that, the Magpies joined with the Balmain Tigers to form the Wests Tigers team. Tommy had some early success as a coach, reaching the finals in 1996. However, the team struggled in his final two seasons.

Tommy also coached the Blues in the 1997 and 1998 State of Origin series. He became famous in State of Origin history for introducing the "cattle dog" call. When he shouted "cattle dog," the NSW players would break from the scrum with lots of energy and determination. This led to some very exciting and memorable moments in the games.

Tommy Raudonikis in the Media

Tommy Raudonikis was a good friend of John Singleton, who owned the 2GB radio station. Because of this friendship, Tommy became a commentator for the Continuous Call Team on 2GB radio.

He also appeared in the 2007 rugby league movie The Final Winter. At one point, Tommy worked as a commentator for Channel 9's rugby league coverage.

In February 2008, Tommy was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players from 1908 to 2007. This list was created to celebrate 100 years of rugby league in Australia. Also in 2008, the Western Suburbs Magpies celebrated their 100th birthday. They inducted six first members into their Hall of Fame, and Tommy Raudonikis was one of them.

In 2017, Tommy was a regular guest on The Footy Show, where he had his own segment called "The Raudonikis Report."

Tommy Raudonikis' Personal Life

Tommy's son, Lincoln Raudonikis, also played rugby league for the Western Suburbs in the NRL in the late 1990s. In 2013, Tommy's 15-year-old grandson sadly passed away after a tragic event.

Health and Passing

In August 2006, Tommy Raudonikis had a heart bypass operation. Many famous former players, including Arthur Summons, sent messages of support.

In April 2019, it was reported that Tommy had a serious illness. Two years later, he passed away on the Gold Coast, Queensland, just six days before his 71st birthday.

Images for kids

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  Raudonikis in c. 1978

Sporting positions
Preceded by Wayne Ellis (caretaker) 1994	Coach Western Suburbs 1995–1999	Succeeded by Club merged
Preceded by Phil Gould 1992–1996	Coach New South Wales 1997–1998	Succeeded by Wayne Pearce 1999–2001
Preceded by Don Parish 1972–1976	Coach Western Suburbs 1976	Succeeded by Keith Holman 1977
Preceded by Bob McCarthy	Captain Australia 1973	Succeeded by Arthur Beetson