Former Raiders Captain and Raider #325 Josh Hodgson will be Sunday’s Viking Ambassador and blow the horn to start the Viking clap at GIO Stadium Canberra.
Hodgson played 138 matches for the Raiders in his 8 years at the club and captained the Raiders alongside Jarrod Croker for the Raiders' last Grand Final appearance in 2019.
Now working in the pathways systems at Parramatta, Hodgson will make the trip to Canberra on Sunday to be the Viking Ambassador and get the crowd revved up before kick-off.
Hodgson said he’s extremely honoured to be given the chance to be Viking Ambassador in such a big game and can’t wait for Sunday.
“It’s massive to be honest, you don’t understand the impact it has on you until you retire and watch the game as a fan and I’m honoured and excited to blow the horn and lead the clap on Sunday,” Hodgson said. “It was a special feeling when the club rang me and asked me to come down. I obviously work for Parramatta now, but in terms of my playing career, I’m a Raider, and being a part of Sunday and the atmosphere, the ground will have is something I’m really excited about.
Hodgson departed the club at the end of the 2022 season while his two children were still young and said they now have a better appreciation of the Viking Clap and what a big thing it will be for Dad on Sunday.
“My kids understand a bit more about the Viking Clap now they’re a bit older and they were buzzing when I told them I was doing it. They watch the games now and they see Hudson and Papa and they say to me you played with them didn’t you Dad? And I love that.”
“I remember when the club started the Viking Clap and the excitement around it and the players felt that. I know for a fact other clubs see it and ask about it, and it’s such a great thing the Raiders fans can bring to a game. It still gives me goosebumps.”
Hodgson said the best Viking Clap in Canberra he could remember was the 2019 Preliminary Final, and he recalled how much the crowd that night helped inspire the team to victory.
“I remember the feeling of running out against Souths in the preliminary final and the Viking Clap was so loud and something I hadn’t really experienced at that level before. It does remind me of being back home with the chants and singing, but the Viking clap and the noise it brings is another level.
That game was such a tough game and when Charnze got sent to the sin bin late in the game, it was the crowd who got behind us and got us home. I never felt like we would do anything but win that night.”
Hodgson said the way in which the current team is playing made him feel proud as a player and Captain and that the culture within the walls at the Raiders looked like the vision that Coach Ricky Stuart showed him when he first signed in 2015.
“I remember when I first signed at the club and Ricky told me about what he was trying to build, and to look after the history and the players who had gone before you is something I loved, and it's been great that the club continues to do this.”
“As an ex-player now, I love watching this crop of young guys play and what they can do on the field, and I’m proud to have gone before them.
