Raudonikis, who died last week following a battle with cancer, played 240 games for the Western Suburbs Magpies and Newtown Jets and represented NSW and Australia throughout the 1970s.

He was born in Bathurst and played his junior rugby league in Cowra.

Local rugby league identity and former Wests player Bruce Gibbs played alongside Raudonikis between 1977 and 1980.

"Tommy was with Wests the whole time I was there. He was captain and played halfback and my regular position was prop," Gibbs said.

"Our coach was Roy Masters.

"Tommy was as tough as they say and he was a real rogue. His team-mates and friends knew exactly what he was like.

"The famous face-slapping was just a psych-up before the game.

"We played alongside Jack Jeffries, John Donnelly, Geoff Foster and Wayne Smith.

"Wests were minor premiers in 1978 when we won 36 home games in a row.

"All my team-mates had nicknames. Tommy was always known as the 'Kraut' because of his haircut. He had the fringe that looked like his mother had put a bowl on his head for a trim.

"My nickname was 'Sloth' because I only had three toes on one foot. I lost two toes when I was young in an accident out in the bush.

"Bobby Cooper was known as 'Longback' as he was six foot, eight inches tall, Les Boyd was 'Bush Ape' and Graeme O'Grady was known as the 'Snake'.

"I think Bobby Cooper holds the record for the longest suspension in rugby league. He got 46 weeks for decking a Cronulla player.

"The referees were frightened of Tommy as he would never take a step back. In our day, there was no sin-bin, you just got sent off."

Mr Gibbs said there was no big money in the game when he was playing.

"We were lucky to earn about $10,000 a year, so we all had jobs.

"I worked for Willie Williams at his refrigeration business. Tommy had a sports store at Blacktown.

"I don't follow rugby league these days. There's too much money and it's monotonous and boring."

Mr Gibbs said that after their retirement from league, he and Raudonikis kept in contact.

"My wife Wendy and I had a pub at Mittagong for three years and we would see Tommy and fellow team-mates all the time.

"I last saw Tommy last year at a game at Lidcombe Oval. He was with one of his best mates, John Singleton.

"Wests have an official reunion every year and some players would have an unofficial reunion around Christmas time every year.

"Tommy was a hard footballer and tough, but he would help everyone and he was great with kids.

"I eventually moved back to Oberon and worked for my father, Ken Gibbs, in log haulage.

"In 2005, I started my own business, BWG Haulage.

"Tommy 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 died in a Gold Coast hospital last week.

Mr Gibbs said Raudonikis' family were probably going to have a private funeral, but he hopes there will be a memorial service in Sydney that his mates can all attend.