Castleford Tigers man joins Championship club on loan

Sheffield Eagles have announced the signing of Castleford Tigers’ centre Josh Hodson on an initial two-week loan deal.

Hodson, 24, joined Castleford at the beginning of last season, but has only featured nine times since then, with injury ruling him out for the majority of 2024.

He has already played in the Championship this season, after joining Widnes Vikings for a fortnight in April. In his time at the Vikings, they suffered a defeat to York Knights, before a victory over Hunslet.

The centre, who can also play second row, has had a unique journey into rugby league, starting off playing rugby union before joining the Midlands Hurricanes academy set up. He then moved down south where he burst onto the scene at London Broncos in 2020. 

He joined Batley Bulldogs in 2022, then led by current Sheffield head coach Craig Lingard. He played 26 times that season, including an appearance in the 2022 Championship Grand Final against Leigh Leopards.

Last year saw him move to Castleford Tigers, where he was also coached by Lingard, and he will work with the 47-year-old once more at the Eagles.

Castleford Tigers Director of Rugby, Chris Chester, described how the move will be beneficial for Hodson:

“[It is a] great opportunity for Joshua to get some game time. Our reserves don’t have a fixture for a number of weeks and the loan gives him a great opportunity to get some quality game time.”

Sheffield take on Barrow Raiders away from home in the Betfred Championship, where Hodson will be in line to make his debut. They then face Doncaster at home before he moves back to Wheldon Road.

The Eagles are currently 10th in the league, with three wins and eight defeats this season. Their squad contains a wealth of former Super League players, including Jack Walker, Kris Welham and Eddie Battye.