Saturday 18 October 2014 13:03, UK
Josh Hodgson is looking forward to a Four Nations campaign with England before getting excited about kicking off his career in the NRL.
The Hull KR hooker is joining the growing number of Super League players leaving for Australia after agreeing a two-year deal with the Canberra Raiders.
But before that he has some huge international games to think about, having benefitted from the withdrawals of England regulars James Roby and Michael McIlorum to secure a place in Steve McNamara's squad for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
Hodgson will compete with newly-crowned Man of Steel Daryl Clark for the No 9 jersey when England open their campaign against qualifiers Samoa in Brisbane next Saturday.
"I was a bit shocked to be honest," Hodgson said. "It's a tough spot to get in is hooker - there's some fantastic English hookers in the league.
"I'm sure there are six or seven that could do a good job internationally so I'm honoured to be part of such a great squad.
"I'm not going to worry too much about who's not in the squad. Everything happens for a reason - I'm a big believer in that.
"Daryl's a great player and I'm sure he was one of the first names in the squad. He's been fantastic this year and I'm sure he'll be fantastic for our country, especially playing off the back of some big forwards."
Hodgson was one of the first players to arrive for England's fall-out programme, with most of his teammates involved in the Super League playoffs, but he feels ready for action if called upon by McNamara next weekend.
"We were straight into training with England to keep fit, to top up our fitness and strength levels," he added. "We've got some great conditioners and some great staff who are of the highest calibre and know what's best for you.
"It's been a tough three or four weeks but it's been keeping us in good nick. It was just me and Joe to start with for the first three sessions and it was tough but then the Leeds boys came in. And, when more people filtered in, we started doing a bit more ball work."
After the tournament finishes, Hodgson hopes with a berth in the November 15 final in Wellington, he will then look forward to getting to work with the Raiders.
"It's something I've always wanted to do," he said. "I've watched the NRL since being a kid and people say it's the best competition in the world so if you get the opportunities why not go there and test yourself?
"It's a short career and I didn't want to look back at the end of my career and wonder if I could have done it."
