Interesting to see him operating primarily on the right as opposed to operating on the left for Wigan. He played very well.
If the likes of Widdop and Hodgson can get rave reviews over there playing as pivots then Williams should have no problems, he's far more talented than either of them.

I still think Hodgson has to be the most overrated player in the game. I just don't get the hype.

To be fair, Hodgson dominated Cameron Smith. I couldnt split Hodgson or Williams as MOM.

He does come up with a couple of big plays in a game, usually a kick out of dummy half or a ball steal, but his basic play is poor. He can't pass off the floor and his passing range is poor, and he's an average defender at best.
The fact that he can be a star over there makes you wonder how good the likes of Roby, Clark, and Houghton would be as they're all better than Hodgson, even now.

They love Hodgson in the media over there. I watched a clip earlier where Fittler and co we’re saying he’s as influential, if not more so, than Cameron Smith. I watch him and there might be a couple of good kicks here and there or a ball steal but there will always be numerous examples of him hogging the ball and not getting quick ball to his halves, a terrible grubber to nobody near the line or an example of him running round like a headless chicken.

I wonder if his rep has been bulled up by the fact that hooker isn’t really a position of strength in the game down under? They’ve had Smith and not a great deal more than that for a while. The likes of Cook and Friend are good players but I wouldn’t have them in the class of a Roby in his pomp. There are a couple of good young hookers coming through now but it’s not been their strongest position in depth/quality terms for a long time. As pointed out if they think Hodgson is great, they’d be thrilled with Clark or Paul McShane and guys over the years like Roby, Cunningham or Terry Newton would’ve come been legends down under.

I never saw Hodgson as a stand out over here TBH in the same way I do the likes of Roby or Clarke, so his success seems strange

He was in a poor team though, and to be fair to him he has been better that either of those two in the England/GB sides.

Cook is class

I agree. I’d still have a prime James Roby over him but he is a good player. The point I’m getting at is that the Aussies don’t have an endless amount of world class hookers to call on, like they do in some other positions and they’ve not had that for a good while. They haven’t needed it with having one of the best ever in place for 10+ years but I just wonder if Hodgson is standing out as one of the better ones behind him because the overall standard isn’t that high. I’m struggling to think of many other reasons for his billing tbh.

he just does things right and the Aussies love that a bit like Smith

Does he though? His long kicking out of dummy half is good, but his distribution is slow, he can't pass very wide of the ruck and his defence is average.

No he hasn't. He's had one half decent game. Whenever he's started before either of those two he's been rubbish and the team massively improved when he goes off.

his defence is very good he was everywhere yesterday, his distribution is fine otherwise his forwards wouldnt be making the yards like they are as they would be on the back foot, if he was poor in these areas he wouldnt be starting in the NRL as defence is key over there