Canberra run out 48-12 victors over Wests Tigers on the back of Josh Hodgson’s brilliance
JOSH Hodgson’s return from a serious knee injury has played out like a dream against the Wests Tigers with the English hooker leading Canberra to a 48-12 win.
Raiders
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WE’VE laughed at the Canberra Raiders’ inability to close out games all season.
Now look out.
Because the running joke of this NRL season is officially over.
Now it’s time for the Raiders’ rivals to start looking over their shoulders.
Josh Hodgson is back.
“Oh they look a different team,” Andrew Johns enthused in Channel Nine commentary during the 48-12 smashing of Wests Tigers at Campbelltown.
“From the time he took the field his team just looked more relaxed.
“They look a completely different team.”
Phil Gould added, as he watched Hodgson play a hand in four of the Raiders’ nine tries in his return after seven months on the sidelines: “Nothing about Canberra’s season has made any sense until now.
“I wouldn’t compare him to Cameron Smith.
“But he is as important to the Raiders as Cameron Smith is to Melbourne.
“Raiders fans get excited.”
You wouldn’t believe the difference one man could make if you didn’t see it with your own eyes.
Just to think, Hodgson hadn’t played since he suffered an ACL knee injury at last year’s World Cup.
And midway through the first half yesterday at Campbelltown, the Raiders were trailing the Tigers 12-4 and they looked lost.
When Blake Austin got set to the sin bin for a professional foul after his edge had already leaked two soft tries, they were on the ropes.
Then Hodgson came onto the field in the 25th minute and struck like a thunderbolt.
“It is easy to say yes (he makes such a huge difference) when he set up a try in the first two minutes (he is on the field),” Raiders skipper Jarrod Croker said.
“He just plays the game how he wants to play the game.
“Very few nines can control a game like that.
“It is great to have him back.”
And anyone who watched the game will tell you if Hodgson stays fit, the Raiders are going to be one hell of a threat in the run to September.
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This season they have lost five games when they led entering the final 10 or 15 minutes.
But you could just see the confidence skyrocket in every player with Hodgson back running the show.
The loss was a huge blow to the Tigers’ hopes of making this year’s top eight — and even with the arrival of Moses Mbye this week and possibly Robbie Farah before June 30, the embarrassing loss highlights the enormous job ahead of them.
Canberra now join the Tigers on 14 competition points but jump over them into ninth spot because of a better points differential.
What it means is that both teams now will probably need to win seven of their remaining 10 games to make the finals cut.
But the way the Raiders absolutely blew the Tigers away, you’d wouldn’t be betting against them.
Johns suggested with Hodgson back the Raiders threaten to be the team that comes from outside the top eight to charge home this year.
Ricky Stuart added: “From where I was standing watching that game, we went to another level.
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“We have missed Josh as any team would miss their world class players.
“I said all along that we were never going to use it as an excuse.
“(But) we wouldn’t have been where we are on the table if he had have been playing at the start of the year.
“Yes, he is that big a difference to the team.
“He is world class.”
Croker added: “We didn’t want to put too much pressure on Hodgo today because we knew he would probably put enough pressure on himself.
“That is the sort of bloke he is.
“He tries his hardest. He does everything at 100 per cent. Hodgo just slipped in today like he’d never been away.
“It is pretty freakish.”
CANBERRA 48 (J Leilua 2 J Tapine 2 B Austin N Cotric L Knight M Oldfield J Papalii tries J Croker 6 goals) bt WESTS TIGERS 12 (C Lawrence C Thompson tries E Marsters 2 goals) at Campbelltown Sports Stadium. Referee: Gavin Badger, Grant Atkins. Crowd: 10,237