Joel Hodgson extends Kingston Park stay
The 28-year-old has played 147 games during his two spells with the Falcons – 12 of those coming last season having returned to the Gallagher Premiership.
“I’m extremely happy to be staying with the club,” said Hodgson, who has scored 515 points in Newcastle colours.
“I think we showed signs during the season just past about what we can do and how we can play, and with the new additions we’ve made we can really kick on.
“It’s just an exciting squad to be part of, there’s so much ability and I think it’s looking good for next season.”
Finishing the 2020-21 campaign at full-back and putting in a string of accomplished performances, Hodgson added: “The biggest thing for me is just about getting out there as much as I can and helping the club, and it’s been good to get some game time at full-back during the last few rounds.
“I’ll always see myself as a fly-half, but I just love being out on the field.
“At times, for the good of the team, I’ve been called upon to come in at full-back, and if it means getting some game time then I’ve been more than happy to do it.”
Director of rugby Dean Richards said: “Joel is a very skilful player who brings a lot to our game, and you can see how much it means for him to represent his local club.
“We’ve made no secret about the fact we want to build our squad around a core of players from in or around our region, and having Joel around for at least the next season very much feeds into that.”
