NRL 2021: Canberra Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson ready for return from injury

On the back of Adam Reynolds’ contract stink with South Sydney, Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson has his say on the NRL’s age debate.

Josh Hodgson will make his return from his second ACL injury in the Raiders trial against the Roosters. Picture: Getty Images.

On the back of Adam Reynolds’ stink with South Sydney over a new contract, Canberra’s livewire hooker Josh Hodgson has had his say on the NRL’s age debate.

And inspired by Cameron Smith’s longevity, Hodgson has declared “age is just a number” ahead of the 31-year-old’s return from injury in a trial against the Sydney Roosters in Canberra on Saturday.

“I’d love to still be playing when I am 36 or 37,” Hodgson said.

It will be Hodgson’s first game since he suffered his second ACL injury in round nine last July.

And while plenty of eyes will be on the Roosters’ young halves pairing of Lachlan Lam and boom teenager Sam Walker this weekend with Walker making his first top grade appearance in Luke Keary’s injury absence Hodgson is equally excited about kicking off the next chapter of his already long and distinguished career.

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Josh Hodgson wants to keep playing until his late 30s. (AAP Image/Brendon Thorne)

Hodgson conceded that he had watched from a distance at the situation engulfing Reynolds this week with the 30-year-old Souths skipper unhappy that the club only wants to re-sign him on a year-to-year basis.

While Hodgson said he wasn’t clear on the exact “ins and outs” of Reynolds’ situation, he was clear on his own position.

“Barring obviously freak career-threatening injuries, I think fitness wise the body is still as good as it has ever been and the mind is still as sharp,” he said.

“So while that is the case I am still planning to be around for a while.”

Hodgson is signed at Canberra until the end of next year but has no plans of making any short term plans.

Meanwhile Souths have indicated privately that the club has to look after its own interests, and they don’t want to get lumped with another potential huge payout as was the case with Sam Burgess’ injury forced retirement.

But on the flip side, as we have seen in recent years with Smith and players like Cooper Cronk, Hodgson said there was also a lot to be said about valuing experience.

Adam Reynolds wants a longer term deal at Souths and Josh Hodgson has backed him to play on. Picture: Toby Zerna

There is no question Reynolds is still playing good footy and if Souths don’t end up giving him a longer deal you’d imagine he won’t struggle to find a club that will.

And Reynolds isn’t the only senior playmaker fighting to pick up a longer deal. At Newcastle Mitchell Pearce, 31, is also likely to only get a one-year extension.

But with the improvement of sports science, training methods and diet, Hodgson said Smith has set the new benchmark.

“Really, in today’s age, if you are on the field and playing, I think age is just a number,” he said.

“You see with the great players, if you are doing the job you are doing the job.

“Obviously we don’t know what Cameron Smith is going to do. It is looking like he might retire. But I was all for him coming back and playing again because he is definitely still doing the business no matter what his age is.

Josh Hodgson will make his return from his second ACL injury in the Raiders trial against the Roosters. Picture: Getty Images.

“So if you look after yourself and you have a good work ethic and you train hard, which is what most (footballers) try and live by, I think it is a realistic target, 36 or 37.”

Though he conceded there had been a few conversations with coach Ricky Stuart and the club’s high performance staff in recent days as to the merits of Hodgson risking himself in this trial.

“There is no real nerves, more like excitement,” Hodgson said.

“That is probably half my problem. The physios still get mad at me thinking I’m 18 in my mind and I try and do things that maybe they don’t want me to do yet.

“But I am a firm believer that you know your own body and you know when you are right and when you are not.

“And that was kind of the conversation I had with them in terms of the trial, with Stick and the physios.

“Not to play in the trial would really have just been a box ticked for everyone else.

“I have been doing everything in training for a good three or four weeks in terms of contact. It just made sense to get some minutes under the belt before the season.”