NEWCASTLE Olympic captain Rhys Cooper feels the return of a fully fit Kyle Hodges can make a "big difference" next season in the Northern NSW National Premier League.
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Hodges missed the 2021 campaign, which was officially abandoned because of coronavirus earlier this month, with a knee injury and Cooper is hopeful of a comeback.
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"Obviously getting Kyle back, and if he's able to next year, he will be a big difference but he's just got to look after himself," Hodges said.
"Unfortunately we lost him from the start (2021), but if he can get through pre-season he'll definitely be playing."
Cooper and Hodges have both re-signed at Olympic for 2022 alongside the likes of Dino Fajkovic, Jacob Bailey, Tom Davies, Jed Hornery and Blake Green.
The Griffiths brothers, coach Joel and Ryan, are also back on board.
Olympic finished seventh on the ladder, two points shy of the top five when play stopped after 16 rounds.
In the NNSW Women's Premier League and Olympic have retained the likes of Sophie O'Brien, Laura Hall and Georgia Amess.
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Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
