Tommy Raudonikis: How one little man with a big voice inspired a generation

From a three-year-old cursing at his lawn mower to what some call the greatest match in history. Tommy Raudonikis and his voice inspired anyone who heard it.

Tommy Raudonikis left a lasting impression on anyone that heard his voice. Picture: Lachie Millard

Tommy Raudonikis left a lasting impression on anyone that heard his voice.

Even little three-year-old boys.

Damian Kelly was a neighbour of Raudonikis’ in Brisbane for about eight years when the champion halfback lived at Lutwyche.

Kelly had just returned from being away in Sydney and Melbourne for about a week when his wife asked him to take their eldest child, three-year-old son Nathaniel, outside to “do the mowing”.

Nathaniel had been given a plastic lawnmower to help his Dad ‘cut’ the grass.

“F......g mower”, Nathanial said, as he pulled the rip chord – “Start you f....g mower.”

Nathanial ripped at the chord a few times more and swore a few times again - then the mower ‘started’ and off he went.

Although shocked to hear such colourful language spewing from his son’s mouth, Damian had to stop himself from dropping to his knees in laughter.

Walking outside to find her husband in side-splitting hysterics, Kelly’s wife explained Nathaniel had regularly watched Raudonikis from over the fence mow his lawn and recalled how the old footballer had recently had trouble “starting his mower”.

Raudonikis laughed every time Damian told him that story.

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Tommy Raudonikis left a lasting impression on anyone that heard his voice. Picture: Lachie Millard

Raudonikis left a lasting impression on anyone that heard his voice.

In 1980 at Henson Park, Newtown went into a game with a long list of injuries ahead of their round four clash against Parramatta.

The blue and golds were the opposite.

They were loaded with many of the stars that were on a path towards history and victory in the 1981, 1982 and 1983 grand finals.

Arthur Beetson, Ray Price, Steve Edge, Peter Sterling, Eric Grothe, Bob O’Reilly and Geoff Gerrard were in the Eels jumpers against the Jets on this particular Sunday afternoon in April.

The Jets, as suggested, were injury-ravaged. Eight of the starting side were unavailable.

Benefactor for the past 40-years and long-serving Newtown Jets director Terry Rowney doesn’t hesitate when declaring this game as the greatest football match he’s ever seen.

And it was all thanks to one, Tommy Raudonikis.

“We had a front-rower playing out in the centres, which had three hookers in the forward pack,” is how Rowney tells the story.

“Young Mark Budgen, he was playing third grade and Tommy said, ‘you’re playing hooker for first grade’

“Barry Jensen played prop and he was the regular first grade hooker.

“Eric Grothe got the ball from the first scrum and I’ll never forget Jimmy Walters, who was a hooker that was playing lock-forward, came across and tackled the great Eric Grothe so far into touch, the ball boy tackled him too.

“And with Tommy yelling at him the whole game, Geoff Bugden took on the whole Parramatta pack.

“His game that day — he was a colossus.

Tommy Raudonikis was a colossus for Newtown.

“Tommy would scream at Buggo (Bugden) after passing him the ball and he’d get knocked over and Tommy would yell at him again.

“He (Bugden) had more hit-ups than the combined team.

“Tommy just drove those blokes all game. They were more afraid of Tommy than what they were of Parramatta.

“We won the game 17-14.

“He (Raudonikis) had that thing, he made impossible things possible.

“He never walked away without making you feel like you had a bounce in your step.

“Tommy never gave an inch and taught them never to give up.

“He was unbelievable charging the troops.

“They never gave up and he instilled that culture in everyone.

“This little man, with a heart just so big and a voice that never gave up.’’

Tommy Raudonikis addresses the NSW State of Origin team in 2018.

Even 22 years later, Ray Hadley can’t shake Raudonikis’ tone of defiance and want to win, at any cost, from his memory.

In the mid 1990s, Raudonikis was used for special comments up in the 2GB radio box during State of Origin time.

“It would’ve been 21 or 22 years ago and Tommy was talking about how Queensland’s only hope of beating NSW was is if they eliminated Andrew Johns (NSW halfback) from the game,’’ Hadley told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

“We were sitting in the broadcast box and Tommy started talking about how ‘Joey’ (Johns) couldn’t fight and he couldn’t do this and that.

“And so ‘Chippy’ (Peter Frilingos) butted in and said: “You’re not suggesting that someone bash the world’s best player out of the game are you, Tommy?’’

“Tommy used to call ‘Chippy’, Frog, so he said: “I’ll tell you what ‘Frog’, if they (Queensland) want to win, they better bash him - because he’ll beat them by himself.”

A little man, Raudonikis used his heart and desire to inspire others.

But it’s his voice, so unmistakeable in the way he used it to make everyone around him feel faster, feel stronger and emboldened, that we’ll never forget.

Originally published as Tommy Raudonikis: How one little man with a big voice inspired a generation