Now the Raiders halfback says they've found the perfect balance ahead of Hodgson's return on Saturday.

Hodgson will play about 40 minutes in the Raiders' pre-season trial against the Sydney Roosters at Seiffert Oval.

It'll allow him and Canberra halves Williams and Jack Wighton to continue to re-establish their combination from last year.

Williams played with Hodgson for both England and Great Britain before arriving in Canberra ahead of the 2020 NRL season.

They also had the first nine games of last year before Hodgson's season-ending injury.

That moment meant Williams and Wighton had to take control of the Green Machine, something Williams felt improved his own game.

The 26-year-old felt they'd found a balance with the star rake's return.

"We had to change up a little bit. Hodgey's really vocal and he's really good there around the ruck," Williams said.

"I had to be a lot more vocal when we lost him. I think it benefited me personally and the team got used to it, obviously a different voice.

"But we've found the balance really well since he's come back.

"Hodgey listens. He's been around the block. He knows when I want the ball and Jack wants the ball. We've just got to find that balance."

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Williams said his combination with Wighton would also continue to grow, having only played 22 games together as a halves pairing.

The England international said having another pre-season under their belt would only help - especially when he compared the time they'd spent playing together with other playmakers around the league.

"Most halfback partnerships in the competition have had a good run of games together," Williams said.

"You look at the Souths halfbacks, [Cody] Walker and [Adam] Reynolds, they've been together probably five or six years and me and Jack have only had 22 games.

"We're still pretty early days in our combination and hopefully that was just a little taste of what we're capable of and we're striving for a lot better going forward."

Like every footballer on the planet, Williams was excited the pre-season was over and games were about to start.

He was hoping for at least a half in the trial against the Roosters.

It will also be a chance for some young outside backs to stake their claim for any potential round-one spots.

Raiders co-captain Jarrod Croker will see the specialist on Monday to find out whether his shoulder will be right for the season opener against the Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium on March 14.

If he's not available then the trial offers another opportunity for someone to stake their claim to face the Tigers.

Williams said Matt Timoko, Sebastian Kris and Harley Smith-Shields had all put their foot forward during the pre-season as Croker recovered from surgery.

"That's a massive position that's up in the air at the moment," he said.

"We're hoping Jarrod will be back in round one, but if not we've got a good few young kids there that are all lining up.

"Matt Timoko, Seb Kris and Harley Smith-Shields as well - there's three really exciting players there.

"[Raiders coach Ricky Stuart's] got a bit of a headache, which is a good thing.

"I'm sure whoever gets the nod if Jarrod's not fit will do the job."

PRE-SEASON TRIALS

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at 4pm; Canberra Raiders v North Sydney Bears at 2pm. Both games at Seiffert Oval.

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