Raiders players pay tribute

SYDNEY: Just two months ago Elliott Whitehead faced his former Canberra Raiders teammate Kato Ottio in the Rugby League World Cup quarterfinal, but yesterday, he celebrated the life of his 23-year-old friend taken “way too soon”.
Raiders players rallied to organise a tribute for the Papua New Guinea international yesterday following Ottio’s shock death on Tuesday after he collapsed at training in Port Moresby.
The Raiders held a memorial service for their former teammate with the club and its fans set to gather and remember Ottio at Holy Trinity Church in Curtin yesterday.
Ottio spent the past two years with the Raiders and had just signed with English Super League club Widnes Vikings following his stellar World Cup campaign.
England second-rower Elliot Whitehead returned to training this week and said while it was great to get back into the swing of things with the boys, he added the club was doing it tough.
“The boys were all devastated hearing the news yesterday, I really enjoyed my time with Kato over the past two years and I don’t think a day went by when he didn’t have a smile on his face,” Whitehead said.
“He was very passionate about his rugby league and I believe he would have done a great job over in the Super League, it’s disappointing he never got that chance.
“All the boys have stuck together strong and we’re going to go have a service for him tomorrow morning to send our prayers to his family back in PNG.
“He’ll be remembered as a great bloke, very humble and he always brought a good buzz around the training ground, he was always happy and if you got moody he’d always put a smile on your face.”
Canberra’s Michael Oldfield spent the majority of last season playing with Ottio for the Raiders feeder club Mounties and emphasised his friend was close to cracking first grade.
“Kats was my winger and it’s just devastating news, we only found out yesterday and as the day has gone and the more we talk about it and think back on it, it’s really starting to hit home,” Oldfield said.
“Nobody should leave that early, it definitely puts things in perspective, we live a pretty good life in what we do and Kats got to experience that and had a big future ahead of him.
“I know his major goal was to crack first grade here and I know it didn’t happen but he wasn’t far off and I’m sure if he went over to England and got his chance he would have killed it, it’s just devastating.”
Raiders half Blake Austin was one of several players to pay tribute.
“Shattered to hear the news about Katsy. Wasn’t a day he wasn’t smiling, gone way too soon. Prayers with all his family,” Austin said on Instagram. – Canberra Times