Canberra Raiders star Josh Hodgson opens up for first time since stepping down as captain

Far from the polarising figure he has been cast as in recent times, the 31-year-old offered Raiders fans a glimpse of the real Hodgson and openly responded to questions about the issues seemingly plaguing him and the club.

He spoke of his commitment to Canberra, the strength of his relationship with Ricky Stuart and the agonising decision he made to rid himself of captaincy duties.

He revealed plans to play on for another four or five years, but left the door wide open for a switch to another club should the right opportunity come along.

Speculation about potential moves to the Brisbane Broncos or Canterbury Bulldogs were laughed off, as was any suggestion of a rift between him and Stuart.

Ultimately it was a refreshing insight into a man we don't hear enough from, whose number one priority is snapping the club's five-match winning run when he returns against the Canterbury Bulldogs on Saturday.

"I'm not daft, I'm an old bloke, I've been round a while, I've still got a lot of good years in me left, four or five good years in me," Hodgson said.

"Tommy [Starling] has been playing some good footy. If he's the next generation in terms of what they want to bring throughout the club, I'm fine with that. I love this club more than to let my own ego stand in the way.

"You've got to do what's best by you, best by your family and your career. Your career's so short in terms of your life, you just can't have any regrets.

"I've never had any regrets so far in terms of big decisions I've made, I've always made the right ones for myself and my family, if you do that then you're never really going to regret it."

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His latest decision rocked the club, with new captain Elliott Whitehead stating last week the playing group was shocked when Hodgson told them he'd availed himself of leadership opportunities.

But it was a choice Hodgson made off his own bat, and one he said has been sufficiently dealt with internally.

"Probably the hardest one I've made in my career to be honest, probably the toughest thing I've had to do," Hodgson said.

"I absolutely love the bunch of blokes here and the quality of players we've got, to be able to be captain of them was a massive honour.

"I have my own values, and I'm my own man, I make my own decisions, I'm a big boy, I'm never going to back down to someone else's opinion if that's my decision.

"There are multiple stories as to reasons why, agents aggravating things and all sorts. I just felt it was right at the time. I don't think there's any real reason for me to touch on [why].

"No one influences me, no one makes my decisions for me, I made my own decision. It went down as well as it could've done with Ricky, we left on really good terms after the meeting and the boys went about business as normal."

Hodgson starts from the bench on Saturday, his first match since telling Stuart he would be stepping down as co-captain.

A calf injury in the intervening period has kept him from the field, and Starling has proven an able replacement in his absence.

"He just spoke about trying to get me and Tommy on the field at the same time, I think probably in those periods of the game where the big fellas are tiring a little bit," Hodgson said about his new role.

"Not sure what position I'll come on yet, whether it be a bit of loose forward, a bit of nine not too sure but we'll see what happens on the weekend. It's been probably a bit of torture last three weeks watching the boys play, especially when they're getting beat."