Canberra Raiders junior Haydon Hodge has made the decision to retire from elite level competition due to a chronic knee injury.
Hodge (23) trained with the Raiders during the pre-season on a train and trial contract and was impressive in both the Auckland Nines and the Raiders first trial match, but has made the decision not to pursue a contract with the club.
After rupturing the ACL in his left knee in 2011 and injuring his Patella tendon in 2013 Hodge took a year off in 2014 to concentrate on his rehabilitation and was offered a pre-season contract with the Raiders in 2015 where he re-joined the NRL squad.