Josh Hodgson: Former England hooker reveals extent of neck injury retirement blow
- Published
Josh Hodgson's career sadly ended with a spate of injuries, including a neck issue which forced his retirement
There is almost a cruelty in the way Josh Hodgson's career has been struck by injury.
The lad from Hull got to play the game he loved, first starring in the domestic Super League and then the National Rugby League in Australia, and also represented his country.
At his peak, he was talked about in the same bracket as Australia legend Cameron Smith, and in 2019 came close to winning the prestigious Dally M medal for player of the year down under.
In the end, a neck injury prompted the call to hang up the boots, after 310 games across the two hemispheres with England, Great Britain, Hull FC, Hull KR, Canberra and Parramatta.
Despite the missed finals and seasons, slogging through rehabilitations which have threaded through his career, there is a satisfaction with what he did achieve despite the disappointment.
"Anyone who retires knows it's difficult but especially when you don't go out on your own terms," Hodgson told the 5 Live Rugby League podcast.
"Since 2019 it's been a really difficult few years, I've got fond memories of that year, but that was the last year since 2017 that I've had a season where I've not either had or come back from a serious injury.
"In that period I've done two ACLs [knee ligament injuries], now my neck along with other little niggly injuries you get as a rugby player. It definitely tests how much you love the game, and how much you're willing to put your body through and how resilient you are.
"The reason I can retire happy is because I know I've squeezed every last inch of energy and juice I can out of my body."
Hodgson's hooker role requires a great deal of defence; in fact, from 2013 onwards every season's top tackler in the NRL has been one of his counterparts.
Yet, it was not one particular match incident which caused the issue, not a single tackle in a game but a more innocuous moment in training.
It was enough for the 33-year-old to say 'enough', given the health concerns stemming from the damage.
"I felt a 'zap' in my neck," Hodgson said. "Over the next day or two it got worse. Something in my neck didn't feel right.
"I had two bulging discs in my neck pressing on my spinal cord and a nerve causing all the pain, because I was kind of doubled over in agony.
"I had to go in and shave a couple of holes in my vertebrae to free up the nerve and make some room in there.
"Thankfully it seems to have worked in terms of the pain relief. The power in my arm is still not back, it's nowhere near even 50% to what it was. All the nerves have been reacted there and that's pretty scary when you realise you've got another 60 years or so to live after playing. Hopefully the power comes back to my arm.
"Because I'm benching one arm with a 40kg and one arm with a 15kg at the moment, it's not great."
So close to glory - 2019 NRL Grand Final
Josh Hodgson is still close to many of the Canberra players who featured in the 2019 Grand Final
Hodgson, who started out at Hull FC before switching to rivals Hull KR, played 133 games and scored 35 tries in Super League, catching the eye further afield.
His sharpness around the ruck, eye for a kick or pass and control of a game prompted Canberra to make a bid, the start of an English invasion to the Australian capital - as Elliott Whitehead, John Bateman, Ryan Sutton, George Williams and Jordan Turner all made the move.
He became one of the NRL's leading hookers, despite his injuries, and in 2019 helped the Raiders reach their first Grand Final since 1994's win over Canterbury Bulldogs.
Canberra were beaten 14-8 by the Sydney Roosters in the showpiece at Sydney's Stadium Australia, but lacked final experience as only Joey Leilua had played in an NRL decider before.
"I learned a lot from that game," Hodgson recalled. "Looking back, minor details, when you get to the very top and playing the top teams every week, the Roosters were just very structured and regimented.
"We were an off-the-cuff team, who had players who could create things out of nothing and that was our biggest strength, but unfortunately on that day we didn't create the things that we'd done in previous weeks.
"The occasion itself is just huge, there are 80,000 in there and it's rocking. You can hear them all when you're warming up inside.
"We could hear the 'Viking clap' of the Raiders fans as we were walking down, but the tunnel is really long so by the time we got out the fans had nearly finished the clap, though we could hear it roaring round the stadium.
"It's a really special thing and obviously to be an English lad captaining an Australian team along with Jarrod Croker out on a Grand Final it's a very special moment.
"I've got a lot of love for Jarrod and all of those lads, there's a lot of lads who I'll speak to for another 30, 40 or 50 years.
"To be representing those boys when I ran out onto the field was a really proud moment."
Working with Wayne Bennett
In addition to his club career, Hodgson wore England colours 19 times, scoring three tries, and also played for Great Britain on four occasions during the 2019 tour of the southern hemisphere.
Heartbreakingly, injury in the semi-final versus Tonga meant he missed the 2017 World Cup final against Australia, but his time under then-head coach Wayne Bennett - one of the great all-time coaches - remains a highlight and an inspiration.
"The biggest things I took out of working with Wayne were the little things in a game and the fact it's all about mate-ship," Hodgson said.
Josh Hodgson was part of Wayne Bennett's 2017 World Cup squad, but missed the final through injury
"Making sure you're as tight as you can be, look after each other in all aspects of life, not just in rugby league.
"He creates this togetherness; every team that Wayne coaches you know it's a Wayne Bennett team because of how close they are, you can see why when you work with him.
"The way he runs things during the day, training and after training, he cares about you as a person not just a rugby league player.
"I think one of his biggest strengths more than anything is that he's honest. He does it with the right intent, whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.
"You can see why he's been in the game so long and growing up as a kid hearing about him it was surreal to play under someone like Wayne."
Playing under such characters as Bennett and Ricky Stuart has clearly rubbed off on Hodgson, who is now turning his attentions to coaching with Parramatta.
With the journey he has been on as a player, there will be plenty of experience and words of wisdom to pass on to their next crop of talented stars.