With the Raiders set to commence their pre-season training period on Friday, time is ticking for veteran hooker Josh Hodgson to finalise his highly publicised move from Canberra to Concord Oval.
While Michael Maguire and the Tigers remain hopeful that an agreement to bring the Englishman to the Harbour City will be struck prior to Hodgson being required back in lime green, The Sydney Morningย has claimed that there could still be a hitch.
Although the rake is tipped to make his way north up the Federal Highway before too long, the sticking point ahead of his shift is due to a financial impasse.
As reported by Christian Nicolussi, the 32-year-old is in line to earn in the vicinity of $900,000 next season, however, the view remains that the Tigers are only prepared to stump up $500,000 of this for the 2022 season.
Should this continue to be a burden that sees Hodgson stay on in the nation's capital for one more season, it has been suggested that Wests are likely to end their interest, with Nicolussi claiming the merged entity only has eyes on the Humberside hooker for the here and now.
The idealistic view in Sydney's west is that Hodgson will ease the pressure that has been mounting at Luke Brooks' feet, as well as expertly holding the reins over the club's youthful collective of forwards.
Despite no deal having been inked at this stage, should an agreement be made within the next 48 to 72-hours, Hodgson will be free to commence training with his new teammates as of Thursday when the Tigers reconvene.
