Thomas Walter Raudonikis (13 April 1950 – 7 April 2021) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He played 40 International games and World Cup games as Australia representative halfback and captained his country in two matches of the 1973 Kangaroo tour.
Raudonikis was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, the son of a Lithuanian immigrant father and a Swiss immigrant mother. He grew up in Cowra. He said, "Mum and Dad migrated over here in 1950. Mum was pregnant with me on the boat, and I was born at the migrant camp."
He joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an engineering apprentice in 1967 and spent three years under training at RAAF Base Wagga.
Raudonikis played 201 games for the Western Suburbs Magpies between 1969 and 1979. Raudonikis quickly established himself of one of the Leagues top players when in 1972 he won the Rothmans Medal, as judged by the NSWRL referees as the best and fairest player in the competition. Led by Raudonikis and the likes of Graeme O'Grady, Les Boyd, John Donnelly the Magpies enjoyed several finals appearances in the late 70's, including winning the 1977 Amco Cup and the Minor Premiership in 1978. Raudonikis epitomised the "Fibros versus Silvertails" rivalry with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles stoked by Western Suburbs coach Roy Masters. However, Premiership success eluded the Lidcombe-based club.
Along with fellow Magpies Graeme O'Grady and Steve Blythe, Raudonikis moved from Western Suburbs to the Newtown Jets, playing 37 games in three seasons between 1980 and 1982. He captained the Jets to the 1981 NSWRL Grand Final against Parramatta. He scored a try early in the second half of the match but Newtown would eventually be defeated 20 points to 11.
He moved to Queensland in 1983 where he was captain-coach of the Brothers club in Brisbane.
In September 2004 he was named in the Western Suburbs Magpies team of the century.
Raudonikis was Western Suburbs club captain from 1971 to 1979, and was Newtown club captain from 1980 to 1982.
Raudonikis was first selected in an Australian squad in 1971 behind Souths halfback Bob Grant and made his run on debut in 1972 against the Kiwis (the same year he won the Rothmans Medal for best club player for the season). He was the regular Test halfback for the next six years. He made Test appearances up until 1980 by which time he was being challenged by Greg Oliphant and Steve Mortimer.
He was the captain of the New South Wales State of Origin team in the inaugural 1980 "Origin" contest. Queensland won 20-10 with Raudonikis, in his one-and-only Origin appearance. Having been knocked out early in the game he would have little impact despite scoring a late try for New South Wales.
NSW and Australian halfback throughout the 1970s
Coached NSW Blues in 1997 and 1998 Origin Series
Kangaroos captain in 1973 for the deciding Ashes test against Great Britain (won 15–5) and the opening test against France (won 21–9)
Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1982
Team of the Century with Wests Tigers and Western Suburbs
Wests Magpies # 1 club man in 100 years and Magpie Immortal
Voted Newtown's Greatest Import in 100 years
Men of League's Toughest 12 in last 50 years