BAILEY Hodgson knows he has a massive opportunity in front of him after stepping up to fill David Armstrong’s boots for Leigh Leopards.
The 22-year-old was named player of the match in his first appearance since May 29 as the Leopards triumphed 18-8 at home to Wigan Warriors in the Battle of the Borough on Friday.
Hodgson’s return to the side came after Armstrong, who has impressed in the Betfred Super League since switching from NRL side Newcastle Knights over the winter, was ruled out for the rest of the 2025 season due to injury and he is determined to play a significant role in Leigh’s play-off push.
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“It’s a massive opportunity,” Hodgson told Sky Sports.
“Obviously it’s hard for David at the minute with his injury and he’ll bounce back.
“But for me, it’s special that I can come into this squad and try to cement my place.
“I’ve been out for about six weeks. It was a massive step up, but it definitely felt like a play-off game.”
Hull-born Hodgson, the nephew of former England hooker Josh Hodgson, has now made 17 appearances for the Leopards since returning to these shores in July last year after spells in Australia with Newcastle and Manly Sea Eagles.
He was a big running threat with the ball against Wigan, making 220 metres with an average gain of seven metres per carry on the back of one clean break and six tackle busts, with head coach Adrian Lam hailing his contribution.
“Bailey has had an awesome pre-season and it was tough to leave him out for a couple of weeks, but he’s edging at the bit there,” Lam told Sky Sports.
“He brings us another level, he’s a competitor, and I’m just proud of him.”
Leigh trailed 8-0 at the break to their local rivals, but roared back to shut Wigan out in the second half with some immense defence and seize their opportunities at the other end thanks to tries from Tesi Niu, Edwin Ipape and Owen Trout.
The win moved the Leopards to within three points of the second-placed reigning champions with 10 rounds of the regular season remaining, with Hodgson praising his team-mates’ resilience.
“Our gameplan is always to get to the half in good shape and then come back second half when we back our fitness,” Hodgson said.
“We’ve all had a mad pre-season and a mad stretch of games, and that always gives us confidence when we’re going in there as a close game.
“Back end of the game, we always feel confident.”