Josh Hodgson still has plenty to offer the game of rugby league, potentially for another three years upon the expiry of his Canberra Raiders contract at the end of 2022.
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But off-season suggestions the 32-year-old Englishman is no longer happy in the capital are wide of the mark.
Yes, he was granted permission by the Raiders earlier this year to seek a fresh start after 2022, and potentially even negotiate an early release from his long-term stay in ACT which will hit its eighth year next season.
Yes, Hodsgon and his management explored their options, most recently with the embattled Wests Tigers which shaped as a potential suitor for the international hooker until it emerged the joint venture club were not willing to pay the entirety of his 2022 salary.
Unsurprisingly, the Raiders were not willing to chip in for one of their highest profile stars to play elsewhere next season.
Which is why Hodgson turned up at Raiders headquarters for day one of preseason last Friday, not with the Tigers at Concord.
Onlookers observed two things when Hodgson took the field for a series of 1200 metres runs last week.
He looked very fit. And he looked very happy.
This augurs well for Raiders fans, and the club's prospects next season - more than likely Hodgson's last at the Green Machine.
With the prospect of just one more big money-contract to see him through the twilight years of his magnificent rugby league career, Hodgson will need to move elsewhere after 2022. Player and club are on the same page in that respect.
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Which makes 2022 a crucial juncture in Hodgson's career. Barring an unexpected 11th hour swoop by another NRL club willing to match the final year of his Raiders contract, Hodgson will be wearing green next season.
This falling of the cards should benefit both player and club.
The Raiders need Hodgson as a part of their roster.
Tom Starling is the only other recognised dummy half in Ricky Stuart's NRL squad, and he's facing a tumultuous 2022 off the field with two upcoming court cases stemming from separate drunken incidents in the space of 12 months on the Central Coast.
Canberra remains keen to put its long-term faith in Starling as their future number nine, but the 23-year-old's recent arrest and Hodgson's off-season contract saga have temporarily stalled negotiations.
Starling usurped Hodgson as Stuart's preferred hooker in 2021, with the latter being used increasingly from the bench as a ball-playing lock throughout the second half of the season.
As it happened, the positional shift hauled Hodgson out of the form slump he fell into after relinquishing co-captaincy duties, and injuring his calf.
He'll be angling for as much game time as possible next season, so he can put himself in the show window of prospective employers.
The Redcliffe Dolphins enter the NRL in 2023, and Hodgson would certainly be an enticing prospect for Wayne Bennett and his coaching staff as a general around the ruck who can lead an emerging new team.
Premiers Penrith might also be in the market for a hooker in 2023 with premiership winner Api Koroisau rumoured to be leaving the club when his contract expires in 2022.
Until then, it will be up to Hodgson to go back to the future and show he still has plenty to offer the sport in the latter years of his career.
That can only be good news for Raiders fans.