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It's been 21 years since the Canberra Raiders had a player win the Dally M Medal. But hooker Josh Hodgson has made a sensational start in the race to claim rugby league's highest individual honour to be a surprise leader after three rounds. The influence of the English international is a major reason why the Raiders are second on the ladder and unbeaten heading into Saturday's match with the Gold Coast Titans at Canberra Stadium. Hodgson is on top of the player of the year tally with eight votes from the first three games of the season, including two man of the match performances. He has a three-point lead ahead of Wests Tigers five-eighth Mitchell Moses and South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback Greg Inglis. Former Raiders hooker Simon Woolford has been impressed with Hodgson's commitment since arriving at the club last year. "He puts in hard work at training, has a great attitude and it's transforming on to the field," Woolford said. "The form he has shown in the first three rounds of the season puts him right up there as one of the best dummy-halves in the competition. "His attention to detail is top shelf and he's reaping the rewards for all of his hard work." North Queensland Cowboys superstar Johnathan Thurston is still the favourite to take out his third straight Dally M Medal. Hodgson's strong form at the start of the season has seen one online bookmaker slash his odds from $101 into $21, putting him firmly in the running for the Dally M Medal. One punter is so confident of Hodgson's form he placed $200 on him at odds of $101 at the start of the season for a potential collect of $20,000. If Hodgson can continue to rack up votes and keep Thurston and co at bay, he would become just the third Raiders player in the club's 35-year history to win the game's ultimate prize. Raiders coach Ricky Stuart took out the honour in 1993 followed by NSW mentor Laurie Daley in 1995. Hodgson has shouldered extra responsibility in attack for the Raiders in the absence of star halves Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer. Austin and Sezer were injured in the club's season-opening win against the Penrith Panthers. They are expected to return from knee and cheekbone injuries, respectively, between rounds five and seven. Hodgson is among the leading exponents in the NRL of the 40/20 kick, producing one with three minutes on the clock against the Sydney Roosters in round two, leading to Sam Williams kicking the match-winning field goal for a 21-20 victory. He also got them on the front foot in last weekend's 24-all draw with the Newcastle Knights. "Josh works very hard with the kicking coach and picks the right time to have a crack at a 40/20," Woolford said. "As a dummy-half, it's an important skill to have." Hodgson has been a revelation in his two seasons with the Raiders and earlier this year signed a contract extension until the end of 2018. DALLY M LEADERBOARD 8: Josh Hodgson (Raiders) 5: Mitchell Moses (Tigers), Greg Inglis (Rabbitohs) 4: Manu Ma'u (Eels), Sam Burgess (Rabbitohs), Ashley Taylor (Titans), Michael Morgan (Cowboys), Agnatius Paasi (Titans).

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