Keiran Dixon takes on his former club on Sunday, but he insists that there are no hard feelings between himself and Hull Kingston Rovers.
Dixon will line up against the Robins for London at the weekend in a game that will see the Championship’s two heavily-tipped sides square off.
The London-born winger spent two years in East Hull, scoring 21 tries in 27 appearances for the Robins.
However, Dixon was restricted to just 12 outings in 2016, and following the club’s relegation, he re-signed with the Broncos as they continue their quest to regain Super League status.
“I enjoyed my time up at Hull and I’m grateful for the opportunity they gave me,” he told TotalRL.
“In my second year I didn’t play as frequently as I’d have liked to, but it’s part of the game. I couldn’t honestly tell you why I didn’t play. I was being told I was training well but still wasn’t been selected. The only reason I can think of is because people were playing better than I was. You have people challenging for spots week in, week out.
“It’s hard to move away from home but it’s something I wanted to do. It was a time when London had been relegated and it was a contract to remain in Super League with a big club like Hull KR. I’d worked hard as a youngster to be a Super League player. Now I’m on the road to helping the club that put me in first-team rugby back to Super League.”
A lot has changed at London since his departure at the end of 2014. Not only has the personnel around the club become almost unrecognisable from his original stint, but the Broncos have also moved their base from Twickenham to Ealing.
“It’s good to be back,” he said.
“The club itself is heading in the right direction now. A lot of changes were made that needed to be made and it’s in the best position it’s been in for quite some time. We’re in a position to go back to Super League.”
Meanwhile, Dixon believes that the opportunity to face Rovers so early in the season gives London an opportunity to put the rest of the competition on alert.
“I think this will be the big game that we need under our belts,” he said.
“It’s good that it has come so early. They’re the other club tipped to be at the top of the table with us, so it’s a good marker for us and it’s good for both sides so we can see where we are at.
“It’s a big chance for us to show the rest of the competition how serious we are about making it back to Super League at the end of the season.”