The English hooker admitted there was nagging uncertainty in the back of his mind after he was unhappy with his display in last year's Four Nations.

It included a 16-12 loss to Smith's Australia side in Melbourne, but Hodgson has since dispelled any fears he wouldn't cut it in the NRL with a fine first five weeks for the Raiders.

His initiation steps up a notch when he clashes with Kangaroos skipper Smith again in Sunday's clash with Melbourne Storm, and this time it's on his turf.

"It's all good to make your [international] debut, you have to show you're half decent as well," Hodgson said.

"I didn't feel I played anywhere near as well as I could in the Four Nations, I was pretty disappointed in myself.

"It was a little bit in the back of my mind whether the speed of the game [in Australia] fitted with how I played in England.

"Not so much doubts, just curious how quick it was going to be and the physicality, and how my game would adapt."

He needn't have worried, as his creativity and huge work rate has given the Raiders a new dimension.

His clash with Smith is exactly the type of challenge he craved when he asked Hull KR for an early release after Raiders coach Ricky Stuart showed interest.

"You always want to play against the best players in the world and he's definitely one of them," Hodgson said.

"He's been around a long time and is very smart.

"It'll be good to play against him but I'll be concentrating on my own job and making sure we're doing the right things."

Had Hull KR chairman Neil Hudgell dug his heels in, the Raiders hooker admits any chance of testing himself Down Under would have been dashed.

As co-captain and the club's reigning player of the year, the Rovers thought long and hard before releasing the 25-year-old from the final two years of his contract.

Hodgson revealed he would have probably ended his career at the Rovers had the cards not fallen his way.

"He [Hudgell] had to have a long think about it, but at the same time he wanted to give me the best opportunity for my career," he said.

"As much as I wanted to be loyal and honour my contract, it was an opportunity where I didn't want to look back at the end of your career and wish I'd taken it.

"If I stayed, I probably would have signed for longer and decided to stay in England just for my career."

The Raiders also paid a hefty release fee to nab Hodgson, which assured him they viewed him as a key piece of the puzzle.

"I don't think it added any pressure, it gave me a bit of confidence knowing they valued me as a player and wanted me in the side," he said.

Hodgson is an old school hooker from an old school town.

He paid for his parents, Dave and Nicky, to watch the first four games of his NRL career, a belated 60th birthday gift for his father.

The tough love his father gave him growing up helped mould him into the hard-working, traditional No.9 who has shown great promise in his first three NRL games.

"Instead of grounding me or taking my PlayStation away, he'd say 'you're not going to rugby training', because he knew how much I loved it," Hodgson said.

"That always used to make me do as I was told, he was pretty old school.

"When I was about 10 years old, you'd be in the back of the car freezing and my dad's telling me what I did wrong.

"But looking back it makes you better for doing it, if every game he patted me on the back and told me I was a superstar, I'd never have worked as hard as I did and not be where I am today."

Hodgson used the Four Nations camp to pick the brains of Englishmen who had already proven themselves in the NRL.

While his profile pales in comparison to the likes of James Graham, Sam Tomkins and Gareth Widdop, it eased his concerns whether he could follow suit.

Even Graham has admitted he had doubts he could adjust to the NRL before establishing himself as one of the game's best props.

"That was the sense I had, you do wonder if you can cut the mustard and be good enough," Hodgson said.

"You do wonder that coming from England, but that's not because you think the competition is so much better.

"It's just a lot different, it's the same thing with guys who've played a lot of NRL and haven't gone so well in England, they're two very different competitions in their own way.

"It's the not knowing that makes you curious, and sometimes you do have those doubts and worries if you'll make it.

"Someone the calibre of James Graham, if he wondered whether he could make it, I'm sure most people have those feelings.

"It's definitely been the best decision I've made, it's been even better than I thought it could be."