Former Great Britain winger David Hodgson ready to respond to Hull KR call of duty

Hull KR assistant coach David Hodgson is ready to come out of retirement and play again - more than two years after quitting.
David Hodgson, left, attempts to make a tackle for Hull KRDavid Hodgson, left, attempts to make a tackle for Hull KR
David Hodgson, left, attempts to make a tackle for Hull KR

The former Great Britain winger, 35, will feature in Sunday’s friendly against Hull FC and has been registered with the club ahead of the new Championship season that starts next month.

Hodgson retired at the end of 2014, finishing off his career at Rovers where he scored 23 tries in 45 games before joining their coaching staff.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The ex-Halifax, Wigan Warriors, Salford and Huddersfield Giants wideman oversees the outside backs as part of his coaching duties at Craven Park but will now provide cover to long-term absentees Matty Marsh and Joe Wardill.

With Ben Cockayne and Jake Butler-Fleming both set to miss out with minor injuries this weekend, too, Hodgson - who scored 184 tries in 366 Super League games - will play in the derby.

Following their relegation from the top-flight, he has been training with Rovers' first-team throughout pre-season under new head coach Tim Sheens.

“It’s been two years since I last played which has given me plenty of time to recover,” Hodgson said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I feel fresh so I’m looking forward to getting back into it.

“I’ve always filled in at training since I became a coach but I’ve stepped that up throughout pre-season and I’ve done a lot of hard sessions with the team.

“I said to Tim that I would train up until Christmas and see how I went but the body feels good.

“Hopefully I can add something to the mix with my experience and I’ll be available if Tim needs to call on me.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The younger kids coming through in the backs are quality players but it always helps having somebody alongside you who’s played for a long time.

“I’m sure Benny will help with that too when he’s back and if I can support them throughout the year when I’m needed then hopefully it can only be good for the team.

“I’ll be facing Hull FC this weekend and it will be a tough test for us, especially for some of the younger lads.

“Can you really call it a friendly when it’s a derby? There’ll be Super League intensity to it and hopefully we’ll be there at the end of the year playing against more Super League teams so it will be good preparation for that.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sheens added: “With the injuries to our backs at the moment, we’re a little under done in that area for the early part of the season.

Dave has been covering at training and has been going well, but we certainly don’t expect him to play every game for us.

“Until we finalise our recruitment and get everybody fit and available, Dave has agreed to fill in and we officially registered him today.

“He’ll do a good job for us and his experience will be useful with our young centres.

“He’s still got the ability as a player but we’re keen to keep him on the coaching staff as well so we’ll see how he goes.”