Hodgson heavy on spirit and courage

There is no doubt Wests Tigers captain Brett Hodgson is the needle in the haystack. In this day and age, rugby league has been dominated by 100 kilogram wingers and fullbacks who can run 100 metres in ten secs.

It seems kids these days have to be born with a bit of muscle to have any hope of making first grade, let alone succeeding in it.

An exception to that theory is departing Tigers fullback Hodgson, who at just 76kg is one of the lightest players to have ever put on an NRL jersey and lived to tell the tale.

And what a tale it’s been.

For a player of his physical stature, Hodgson has done it all.

He won a Grand Final with the Tigers in 2005 and has played six Origins for NSW. He also holds the record for most points in a season by a fullback, scoring 308 points in the same year the Tigers won their maiden Premiership.

The 30 year-old current Tigers captain has achieved more than anyone could have expected with such a small frame.

Who could forget his first Origin appearance for the Blues?

Hodgson scored three tries and was named man-of-the-match in the toughest arena rugby league has to offer.

Yep, a 76 kilogram man was able to wreck havoc against some of the giants of the game.

And he still does today.

He is deceptively quick and remains one of the finest support players in the NRL.

Unfortunately, though, there will be no fairytale finish for ‘Hodgo’ as his Tigers bid farewell to 2008 when they play the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday afternoon.

Since their grand final triumph three years ago, the Tigers have failed to make the finals and Hodgson will have to be content with finishing a glorious career in Queensland.

All this because he is joining the growing exodus of players to Europe with the Tigers fullback agreeing to a two year deal with English Super League club, Huddersfield.

But there is no doubt that Hodgson’s legacy at the Tigers will remain secure for the rest of their history.

Even if it is just 76 kilos worth.

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