Brett Hodgson

Brett Hodgson (born 12 February 1978) is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player during the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.

He later said, "In my first game I was on the bench and didn’t get on until the 78th minute because Tommy forgot I was on the sidelines. Paul Langmack came off, grabbed the walkie-talkie and said: 'Tommy, you've got [Hodgson] down here, are you going to put him on?' Tommy asked me where I wanted to play and I said fullback. He said, 'Righto, off you go.'" After a further game on the bench, Hodgson moved to the wing for the remainder of the season.

In his first game in the starting side, he scored 2 tries in a win against Sydney City.

He made his first-grade début under coach Tommy Raudonikis in round 11 of the 1997 ARL season, when Wests met the South Queensland Crushers at Campbelltown Stadium.

In 1998, Hodgson played wing, halfback and fullback.

He scored 10 tries from his 19 appearances, though the Magpies only won 4 of those games.

In round 12 he scored his first hattrick, in a 36-24 win over the Adelaide Rams.

Securing a spot at fullback in 1999, the last year before the Magpies merged, he played a further 19 games.

Hodgson later said of his departure from the club, "I got offered a deal to stay at Wests Tigers when they first merged. I had a conversation with Tommy that I was going to stay. I felt my loyalties lay with Tommy and I took less money to go to Parramatta. I had a lot of respect for Wayne Pearce [who was the first Wests Tigers coach] ... but I had a lot of loyalty to Tommy. The rest is history."

In 1999, Hodgson signed with Parramatta Eels for the 2000 NRL season.

Hodgson's season was cut short following a high tackle from Cronulla's Mitch Healey, breaking his jaw.

The 2001 season was a successful one for Hodgson and Parramatta Eels.

Hodgson was selected for City Origin and the club made it to the grand final.

Described as a "lethal, attacking full-back", Hodgson played as a and scored two tries in the Parramatta Eels's loss to the Newcastle Knights in the 2001 NRL grand final.

During his time at the Eels, Hodgson was the recipient of Gordon Tallis' famous slingshot tackle, whilst was representing NSW in the 2002 State of Origin series.

In 2003, Hodgson's final year at the Parramatta Eels was cut short in round 16 with a rib injury.

Hodgson returned to Campbelltown when he signed with the Wests Tigers in 2004.

Taking over goal-kicking duties, a position he had sometimes filled in previous seasons, he scored 194 points for the year.

A New South Wales State of Origin representative goal-kicking, he played his club football in the NRL for the Western Suburbs Magpies, the Parramatta Eels and the Wests Tigers, with whom he won the 2005 NRL premiership.

In round 24 of the 2005 season, Hodgson scored a club record 22 points during a 54-2 flogging of the Bulldogs.

Three weeks later, he broke his own record, scoring 30 points against the Cowboys.

Hodgson's successful 2005 season resulted in the Dally M Fullback of the Year and the NRL competition's leading pointscorer with 308 points, the most points ever scored by a in one season.

He went on to play and kick five goals in the Tigers' 2005 NRL Grand Final victory over the North Queensland Cowboys.

As NRL Premiers Wests faced Super League champions Bradford Bulls in the 2006 World Club Challenge.

Hodgson played as a, scoring a try and kicking one goal in the Tigers' 30-10 loss.

On 23 July 2006, midway through the first half of the clash between Wests Tigers and his former club, Parramatta Eels, Hodgson sustained medial and cruciate ligament injuries and was sidelined for the remainder of the season.

In Round 12 of 2007, Hodgson fractured his cheekbone in the match against the Parramatta Eels.

After surgery to repair the fracture, Hodgson was sidelined for seven rounds and returned in Round 20 for his 200th first-grade game, a resounding win against the North Queensland Cowboys.

In 2008, Hodgson was the last remaining pre-2000 Western Suburbs Magpies' footballer playing in the NRL, before the return of John Skandalis in 2009, and Ray Cashmere in 2012.

Hodgson played his last game for the Wests Tigers on 7 September 2008 and although the club failed to make the top eight, they did send Hodgson out with a win against the Gold Coast Titans, 28–12.

Hodgson was named Man of the Match.

At the club's end of season awards, Hodgson was voted the Members' Player of the Year for 2008.

He played in the Super League for the Huddersfield Giants, with whom he won the 2009 Man of Steel Award, and the Warrington Wolves, with whom he won both the Challenge Cup and the Lance Todd Trophy.

Hodgson also gained representative selection for the Exiles and City NSW.

Hodgson was born in Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia.

An Ingleburn RSL (Campbelltown) junior, Hodgson was graded to the Western Suburbs Magpies.

Salary cap restraints at the Wests Tigers forced Hodgson to look elsewhere for a contract for the 2009 season.

Hodgson said his departure was, "through lack of opportunity in Australia. There was absolutely nothing here. If you've been in the game seven, eight, nine or 10 years I think there needs to be some sort of [salary cap] allowance."

Hodgson signed a two-year deal to play in the UK for Huddersfield Giants from 2009.

In 2015, Hodgson was named a Wests Tigers' life member.