State of Origin star Hudson Young courts trouble with shocking social media post about his teammate

Canberra footy star Hudson Young might find himself in hot water after a social media post in which he compares his teammate to a short-statured person who appeared to be filmed in public without their consent.

Young, who will make his State of Origin return for the NSW Blues this week, recently took to social media to take the mickey out of his friend and teammate Tom Starling. 

Starling, who plays hooker for the Raiders, is one of the smaller NRL players in recent history, standing at 172cm.

The Raiders star celebrates his birthday on June 4 and Young wished him a happy birthday by posting a photo of them both to Instagram alongside a message.

Canberra Raiders stars Tom Starling (left) and Hudson Young are good friends off the field

Young then posted a video clip of a short-statured person crossing the road with a walking stick and tagged Starling, writing: ‘Enjoy your day son @tstarling_’.

Judging by landmarks in the background, the footage appears to have been filmed in New Zealand. 

The joke isn’t likely to offend Starling as the pair are mates off the footy field, but similar posts have been condemned by the Short Statured People of Australia (SSPA), which has been trying to combat individuals filming short people and posting them to social media without their consent.

‘Being filmed without consent is an abuse of our human right to access and move around public spaces without having to be subjected to this kind of violence, abuse, and exploitation,’ wrote the SSPA in a recent statement.

‘All individuals have the right to participate in the community in a way that allows them the same privacy, anonymity, freedom, respect, and safety as anyone else.’

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Canberra Raiders for comment. 

In May, a young footy player with a rare medical condition that has impacted his growth hit back at trolls who secretly photographed him and posted the shots in a Facebook group called ‘Midget Watching Australia’.

‘It’s hard,’ said Blake Robinson, who pointed out that he is not a dwarf and doesn’t ‘speak on behalf’ of people with that condition.

‘I just want to go out and play football and not have photos taken of me and posted to stupid groups – it shouldn’t even be a thing.

Young might find himself in strife for posting footage of short person who was filmed in public

‘I’m just a normal 20-year-old who wants to go out and play the game I love. I don’t play the game any different to anyone else.

‘People out there who take photos and think it’s funny – but it’s not funny to me and I just want people to know that it hurts.’