Oddly enough the view on Hodgson isn't one shared by most Australian pundits. I think the one thing Hodgson does is attract attention from defenders as they know how dangerous he can be. What England need to do is somehow use that threat to get others into space.
I think Widdopp at full back is a good move as it gives him more space and the chance to choose where he enters plays. When he's first receiver he can be one of those players who looks great but doesn't actually deliver a lot in terms of try scoring passes. Brown did a good job against France IMO of creating a bit of space for Gale. In any event having a third option in attack looke better.
I'm not at all convinced by Bateman at centre, and would have gone with Percival who I thought at least looked like a proper centre against France.
Having said all that, whilst beating PNG isn't a gimme, I wouldn't be surprised if Bennett makes a couple of changes for Tonga assuming we win.