Luke Hodge Biography

As part of a long-standing promise for winning the 2014 flag, Alastair Clarkson owes the five-man Hawthorn leadership group a trip to the Super Bowl.

Originally locked in for the following year, the trip was denied over what would've been perceived as a breach of the salary cap with the four-time premiership coach "gifting" his players.

And with each year that passes without the commitment being fulfilled, the reminders from captain Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Jordan Lewis, Josh Gibson and Jarryd Roughead get more intense.

"Every year in the lead-up to the Super Bowl I'm getting text messages from these five or six lads saying, 'Notice you haven't got an airline ticket booked for me this year'," Clarkson said.

"While it seems like a gesture that's a little bit over the top, it's quite sincere from my family's point of the view, as well as our club, just what contribution they made to the success of our footy club through that period of time."

Luke Hodge will return to Brisbane in 2020, with the retired great set to re-join the club where he finished his playing career as its new mentoring coach.

Hodge will take the role on a part-time basis from next season, having officially announced he was retiring from his storied playing career at the end of last season.

"My family and I have loved our time in Brisbane and are looking forward to staying here next year," Hodge told the club's website.

"I'm excited about my role at the Lions and believe the club has really progressed over the past couple of seasons. I'm looking forward to seeing what's ahead."

Following the Lions' loss to GWS in a semi-final, Luke retires from AFL for the second time, but this time for good.

"I'm so glad that he made the decision to come (to Brisbane). When a guy's that old and he's played that much footy and bashed himself around, you're not 100 per cent certain he'll go the journey, but he's done so with great form all the way through, really," Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said about Hodge.

"The time has come. He's one of the all-time greats. More than anything, he's a good friend."

Noah Answerth is the round 20 2019 AFL Rising Star nominee.

A Hawthorn supporter growing up, Answerth says it has been the surreal experience of playing in the same backline as one of his boyhood idols, Lions veteran Luke Hodge.

"It's great playing with Hodgey. His leadership and organisation on game day and at training and around the club is great," Answerth said.

"He's a really good coach on the ground and he directs really well and I've learnt so much from him."

Luke Hodge says he will remain at the Lions in 2020 in some capacity.

"We're absolutely loving it up here. For a winter's day to be 20-odd, we're not going anywhere," Hodge said.

"I'll be part of the Lions next year, in what way, who knows."

Chris Fagan says Luke Hodge's on-field education of a young backline and assistance in leadership meetings helped the club in 2018 more than outsiders would realise.

"My expectations of what he'd bring to the team, he delivered in spades," Fagan said.

"Sometimes his own game suffers a little because he's so busy coaching everyone else out there.

"If you talk to our players or listen to them talk about him, they hold him in such high regard and they've learnt so much."

Shaun Burgoyne has revealed how he was on the receiving end of some interesting tactics from triple premiership teammate Luke Hodge.

Hodge faced Burgoyne and his former teammates for the first time as a Brisbane player, leaving with the last laugh to deliver the Lions' first win of the season.

"He did tackle me and he squeezed my nipples pretty hard," Burgoyne told SEN radio.

"I couldn’t do anything about it because he tackled me from behind, so he had a little bit of venom in his tackling."

Luke Hodge says his role at Brisbane is to guide and mentor the younger Lions players.

"I was here to help younger guys," Hodge said in the build-up to his game against his former club Hawthorn.

"If that means I don't get the ball but we're playing the football we want and the younger guys are doing the stuff the coaches want, that's a tick as far as the team going forward.

"I'm 33, I'm not here to play my best football, I'm here to try and make guys 19, 20 and 21 develop and improve in their football."

Luke Hodge will play against his old side, Hawthorn, this week as a Lion.

"Anyone who's got siblings, you love them to death but you compete that hard to try and beat them and it's going to be the same on the weekend," Hodge said.

"All the blokes I've had so many great memories with over the years, and I'll continue to have them in the future, but on Sunday, I'll be trying to do everything I can to help our team get over the top."

Lions CEO Greg Swann has defended Luke Hodge amid criticism the veteran is a liability defensively in first season at the club.

St Kilda legend Danny Frawley said following the Lions' 93-point loss to Richmond on the weekend opposition clubs were directing play through Hodge's opponent to exploit his defensive weaknesses.

"The stuff that he does at training, the leadership group and everything else he does around the club, both on and off-field, the coaching stuff, you can't buy that," Swann said.

"We just think he adds so much more than being a player, (so) we have no regrets and don't think he should sit in the grandstand."

Luke Hodge says his friendship with Jarryd Roughead led to him choosing the No.2 jumper at the Brisbane Lions.

"I've done a fair bit of work with 'Rough' over the last few years with his captaincy and got quite close with him, so I thought it was a pretty clear decision what I wanted," Hodge said.

"I gave him the heads up that we're both wearing No.2.

"He's keen for a jumper swap at some stage throughout the season when we play one against each other, so that should be good."

Jacob Allison says he is excited at the prospect of playing alongside Lions recruit and former Hawthorn skipper Luke Hodge.

"I was Hawthorn supporter growing up and so was dad, so dad's a bit jealous at the moment," Allison laughed.

"I still can't believe it's happening and I'm stoked for the club. I can't wait to learn off him and ask as many questions as I can."

Luke Hodge says a conversation with Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson made it clear that he wanted to extend his playing career in Brisbane.

"I sat down with 'Clarko' at the end of the season and said 'Mate, I'm struggling to make a decision here. My mind and my body wants to keep going but the emotional side of things is telling me I can't'," Hodge said.

"He said, 'You need to take the emotional decision out of it. You need to do what's best for you and your family as you develop going forward'.

"It's a lot easier said than done, but once I could do that, it was a pretty clear decision for (wife) Loz, the boys and myself to make."

Lions coach Chris Fagan has revealed the recruiting coup that landed Hawthorn great Luke Hodge started with a light-hearted text message before Hodge's 300th game in round 17.

"It was around his 300th game I sent him a text – 'If you get to the end of the year and you feel like you want to keep going it is nice and warm up here, mate. We need an on-field assistant coach type person,'" Fagan said.

"I even gave it the old 'ha ha' at the end of it, so just joking. And a couple of weeks later he sent me a text saying he might be interested in chatting about that.

"I must admit it happened pretty innocently in the first instance; it was more me having a bit of a joke."

Luke Hodge is officially a Brisbane Lion and set to play for two more seasons, with his decision to turn his back on retirement complete.

The Lions sent a round-three pick (No.43 at the time of trade) and a round-five selection (75) to the Hawks for Hodge and their round-three choice (44).

Tom Mitchell joins his father as a club best and fairest winner, claiming the Peter Crimmins Medal as reward for his brilliant first season at Hawthorn in 2017.

The former Swan proved one of the AFL's best recruits in an astonishing 2017 campaign, where he broke the all-time record for possessions (787) in the home and away season.

Mitchell was an All Australian for the first time this year and finished second behind record-setting Tiger Dustin Martin in the Brownlow Medal.

The 24-year-old polled 192 votes to easily capture Hawthorn's highest individual honour, ahead of ruckman Ben McEvoy (138) and the departing Luke Hodge (131).

"It's a special feeling, obviously to see some of the past winners that have won the Peter Crimmins Medal," Mitchell said.

"Now I'm comfortable around the club and understand the surroundings and how the culture works, (being in the leadership group is) something I'd like to strive towards."

Luke Hodge confirms he will be turning his back on retirement to play for the Lions in 2018.

The 33-year-old is expected to combine his playing duties with a coaching role.

"The fact I couldn't play on at Hawthorn is because if I play, and blokes like (Grant) Birchall, (Ben) Stratton and (James) Frawley are back in … all these young kids I've just spoken about, they'll be going back to Box Hill and playing and I reckon that's going to limit their development," Hodge said.

"So that's the reason why I couldn't sign at Hawthorn and ultimately that's the reason why I (initially) retired."

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says he went against his tide of emotions to encourage Hodge to put himself first when contemplating whether to join the Lions.

"We'd all love Hodgey to perhaps retire as a Hawthorn player, (but) we can't be that selfish about it, because there's so much more to this decision," Clarkson said.

"There's his wife (Lauren), there's his three boys, there's his potential coaching future or otherwise. He may not coach beyond his time at Brisbane, but the important thing is he'll know.

"It's ripping my guts out to think he's not going to play his whole career at Hawthorn, but what flips against that is what's best for him, what's best for his wife and what's best for his three boys."

Luke Hodge could be set to play on in 2018, with the Brisbane Lions in discussions to lure the four-time premiership star out of retirement.

Hodge hung up the boots last month after 305 games for Hawthorn, but the Lions are on the verge of convincing him to play another season before taking up a coaching role.

"We are keen to explore the possibility of Luke playing for our club with his manager in the coming days," Lions general manager of football David Noble said.

"Luke’s ability to assist with developing and nurturing our emerging group as an additional on-field leader would be a great help to us."

Mark McGrath is revealed as the movement coach behind Luke Hodge's longevity.

"He's got me doing some interesting things that the boys have some fun with," Hodge said when he announced his retirement. "Mark, you've spent so much time with me to continue playing football, so a massive thank you for that."

McGrath mixes dynamic neuromuscular stabilisation with some yoga principles, a philosophy borne out of the famed Prague School of Rehabilitation.

"The DNS approach is built on infant development, so the first 15 months of life," McGrath said.

"When we go back and practice those milestone postures from the first 15 months, it's like every single time we're rebooting it."

Luke Hodge says he will retire at the end of the 2017 season.

"It's probably a decision we've been pretty clear on for a while … I think it's the best thing for the footy club and myself," Hodge said.

"I'm still loving football. I still really enjoy it. My body feels good, but … if I play on next year, I'll be taking the spot of a younger guy and, as a senior bloke, I'd never want to do that."

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson pinpointed Hodge missing a Monday training session after his 21st birthday celebrations in 2005 as the turning point in his career.

He copped a one-game club ban, but Clarkson said the frank discussion at the time was the moment Hodge realised he could be "something really special" if he committed himself.

"I think the journey since then has been first-class, and that's why he's got to 300 games," Clarkson said.

"Those people in the back of the room who see him every day; they would say he's put more time and effort into his body the last four or five years than any other player on our list.

"He's benefited from that, but so has our footy club enormously, because otherwise he might have got to 200 games and that might have been it."

Luke Hodge says he is still undecided about his future beyond 2017.

"Mentally I'm still enjoying it (and) physically I'm still enjoying it, but I guess it's a position of where the footy club's at as well. We've found a lot of young, good footballers in the last month or so. I've really enjoyed that side of things," Hodge said.

"There's a fair bit to bring together to decide, with the family and that as well, then I'll chat to Clarko (coach Alastair Clarkson) and the footy club."

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has dismissed suggestions of double standards over former captain Luke Hodge's club-imposed suspension.

Hodge will sit out the club's round one clash with Essendon as punishment for failing to attend a training session.

However, he didn't miss any games after a drink-driving charge on the eve of the 2015 finals series.

"One's been treated by the law and one has been treated by our footy club," Clarkson told SEN radio.

"The one treated by the law is no different to you or anyone else having a drink. He's allowed to have a drink, he wasn't playing at the time.

"In terms of compliance of what we have established at our footy club, he didn't step outside that. With this one he did.

"According to what we guide our players on in terms of their trademark and what they are expected to do, then that one was outside of their boundaries."

Hawks assistant coach Adam Yze says one phone call would have saved Luke Hodge from a ban imposed on him by the leadership group.

"It was a small slip-up," Yze said.

"He just didn't communicate to the whole footy department. That lack of communication was the reason why (Hodge was suspended). Just not everyone knew that he wasn't there.

"One phone call probably could have saved him."

Luke Hodge is suspended by Hawthorn's leadership group after missing a training session.

"I had something to do, which was important to me, but in saying that it is a simple thing just to make a phone call," Hodge said.

"Especially with a new captain, new vice-captains ... they're just upholding the standards that we've held for the last six to eight years, which have held us in good stead.

"I fully support the decision ... I'd love to be out there against Essendon but I think for the benefit of the club and where we're going in the future it's the best thing."

Luke Hodge says not having the responsibility of captaining the Hawks may extend his career beyond 2017.

"With the lack of responsibility of the captaincy, not being the 'Grinch' and telling people what to do all the time, it's taken the stress out of it," Hodge said.

"I've had a lot of people telling me I'm more enjoyable this season and my wife said it's like having a different person at home."

Gary ablett and Luke Hodge are set to add to their long list of achievements by being named as AFL Life Members.

Ablett and Hodge join St Kilda's Leigh Montagna, Western Bulldogs veteran Matthew Boyd and Sydney 2012 premiership captain Jarrad McVeigh in automatically qualifying for life membership having reached 300 AFL games.

Luke Hodge steps down as captain of Hawthorn, paving the way for Jarryd Roughead to assume the role at the Hawks.

"I think it's the perfect time for Rough to take the reins," Hodge said.

"I've had the opportunity to see him grow and develop as a leader and there is no better person to lead our club in 2017.

"I've always thought I'd like to be around to help out and support my successor so I'm rapt that Rough's appointment means I'll have the opportunity to do that."

Jack Gunston says he's up for captaining the Hawks if Luke Hodge decides to hand over the reins.

"I think if Hodgey wants it, he'll go around again," Gunston said.

"And why not? We've got one of the greatest captains probably ever to play the game and he's an absolute warrior.

"But if he wants to hand it over, I'm sure there's numerous guys that are ready to take over and it'd be great to be able to do it next to Hodgey while he's still here."

Shaun Burgoyne says he wants to play on in 2017 and believes Hawthorn teammates Luke Hodge and Josh Gibson will follow suit.

"I would like to (play on), but it also depends on how the club's going, how the body's feeling and whether I'm still getting a kick or not as well," Burgoyne said.

"We're all playing good enough footy and we probably will all go on.

"But you've just got to wait and see how things work out, because although we all want to play on forever, you've also got to have one eye on the future, and you want to leave the club in a good state."

Luke Hodge is eyeing off a round 14 return from a knee injury after being sidelined since round six following surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his knee.

"Probably body-wise and injury-wise I could play next week or the week after but I found out after 2012, if you rush back too early you may not have the impact you want so," Hodge said.

"So a mini pre-season means I'll get three good weeks of work and then down to Tassie where we play Gold Coast, which is round 14. I'm looking forward to it."

Luke Hodge will undergo surgery and is set to miss four to six weeks with a knee injury.

Scans had revealed Hodge had suffered a lateral meniscus tear in the first quarter of Hawthorn's loss to Greater Western Sydney.

Luke Hodge makes an earlier than expected return to Hawthorn's senior side, being named in the squad to take on St Kilda in Launceston less than three weeks after fracturing his arm against Geelong.

"I'm a bit old school thinking that bones take six weeks to recover, but sophisticated surgeries nowadays allow players to come back a little bit earlier because they insert plates and strengthen the bone," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"He's had a fantastic recovery. It was really just recovering from the wound more so than the fracture now.

"He's been able to demonstrate to the doctors that he's made a really, really strong recovery, so we're looking forward to having him back in the side."

Hawthorn will be without skipper Luke Hodge for at least the next month after he had surgery to repair the broken right arm he suffered in the loss to Geelong on Easter Monday.

Scans revealed Hodge broke the ulna in his right arm in a collision with Cat Mitch Duncan in the final term and he underwent surgery on Tuesday afternoon.

"Our worst fears are realised, the X-rays showed a fracture of his ulna," Hawthorn football manager Chris Fagan said.

"We think it will take somewhere between 4-6 weeks at this stage."

Luke Hodge looks set to miss several games after suffering a suspected broken right arm in the final quarter of his Hawthorn's round 1 loss to Geelong.

Hodge went off the field in pain after a collision with Cat Mitch Duncan in the last term. Duncan was reported for rough conduct in the incident, although he appeared to avoid contact with Hodge's head.

The Hawks captain finished the game on the bench with his lower right arm and wrist iced up.

"He has got a sore arm so we will get that assessed either tonight or tomorrow night," Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"I would suggest it doesn't look too good because he is a pretty fierce warrior and he doesn't usually come off the ground.

"He was icing up after the game and was pretty sore so we'll just wait and see but he is probably likely to miss a bit of footy, I reckon."

Luke Hodge will skipper the Hawks for the sixth season, after being re-elected to the position by his teammates and coaches during the club's pre-season training camp on the Sunshine Coast.

"It's something that I've always had a passion for and that I've loved doing over the past five years and I'm rapt to be doing it again," Hodge said.

Luke Hodge declares he wants to stay as Hawthorn captain in 2016.

"I've really enjoyed being captain of the Hawthorn Football Club and it's still something that I am really keen to do," Hodge said.

"A lot has been taken from what I said at the end of the season, and the end of last season as well, that I'd do whatever is best for the footy club.

"But I've got the hunger to still be captain, I've still got the passion and it's a really good group to lead."

Luke Hodge is named the Australian captain for the Virgin Australian International Rules Series.

Robbie Gray will be one of six AFL Players flying to take part in an innovative Gatorade testing program to improve player hydration.

Joining Gray will be Hawthorn's Luke Hodge and Grant Birchall, Western Bulldogs forward Jake Stringer, Geelong defender Harry Taylor, West Coast's best and fairest winner Andrew Gaff and Power assistant coach Matthew Nicks.

The Hawks' leadership group imposed a $5000 fine on Luke Hodge for drink-driving.

"We're satisfied (with the penalty) as a footy club, given what he's given to our club, what he's given to the game, the shame that he's had to endure over the last 24 hours … and also his remorse," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"We've got a whole raft of approaches that we could take to this particular incident and our leadership group and the executive of our football club didn’t think it was at the level to warrant a suspension."

Hawthorn won't take further action to discipline captain Luke Hodge after he was fined $450 and docked 10 demerit points for being caught drink driving.

Hodge was stopped by police on his way home from a function and blew 0.068.

He notified the club immediately and co-operated with police throughout.

"Luke understands that as a father of two young boys and a leader of our footy club he is in a position to set an example for the community in regards to road safety and is extremely remorseful,” Hawthorn general manager of football operations Fagan said.

"He had a couple of drinks throughout the night and thought he was OK to drive, but makes no excuse for his poor judgment.

"We are disappointed in Luke's error of judgment, the club has spoken to him and the police about the matter and we believe the penalty he has received is appropriate."

Luke Hodge line up for the Hawks' first final after he received a two-game suspension from the Match Review Panel for his dangerous bump on Chad Wingard.

Hodge was in danger of missing his team's qualifying final after being cited for engaging in rough conduct against Wingard in the Hawks' loss to the Power on Friday night.

But he will only miss the final two rounds of the home and away season after being hit with the two-game ban by the MRP, which graded the incident as careless conduct and medium impact to the head.

The assessment brought a two-game ban, which increased to be three weeks given his bad record (Hodge was suspended for three games for striking North Melbourne's Andrew Swallow in round five).

But Hodge can accept the two-week suspension with an early plea, which will see him outed for the Hawks' clashes with the Brisbane Lions and Carlton – the bottom two teams on the ladder.

Hodge says a chat with the former Hawks assistant coach, and current West Coast coach, Adam Simpson in 2012 helped him rejuvenate his body after a decade of bash and crash football.

"(Simpson) said once you get to 30 … it helped him if he dropped a kilo every year," Hodge recalled.

"And I thought 28 was close enough and coming off a knee injury I thought I better start then. So I went from about 91kg or 92kg down to about the 87kg I play at now.

"With the speed of the game, if you're carrying excess weight, then by late in the season it's going to hurt you because the game's that quick with the amount of whippets we've got running around.

"It's definitely helped the last couple of years."

Will Langford says he's trying to emulate Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell's consistency in a bid to build on his breakout 2014 finals series.

"I've not played 30 games yet, really, so it's just a matter of – like any developing player – you maybe start to find what your strengths are and you try to play to that week-in, week-out," Langford said.

"Guys like Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge – the really elite performers in our team – are the guys that I probably focus on.

"What makes them so good is they're outstanding players but they do it every week, they back it up.

"That's just the next part of my development as a player, just trying to bring that consistency and energy week-in, week-out throughout the footy year."

Luke Hodge is suspended for three matches at the Tribunal after pleading guilty to striking North Melbourne midfielder Andrew Swallow.

Hodge told the Tribunal he had intended to strike Swallow to the chest. He said although he played a physical style of football, there was no excuse for what he did.

"I definitely did not mean to get him as high as I did, but in saying that I was silly enough to do it and have to cop the punishment," Hodge said.

"I don't stand for that as a footballer and I don't stand for that as a person.

"I definitely believe there's no room in our game for incidents like that, (so) I'll cop the three weeks and move on from there."

Luke Hodge will play into a 15th AFL season, after re-signing with the Hawks until the end of 2016.

"At this stage, I still think I can help the boys on the field and my body is feeling great," Hodge said.

"It's a great club to be around and we're in a really exciting time at the moment so there was definitely no argument when they came to us [with a contract]."

Luke Hodge is ranked by his fellow players as the eighth best in the AFL.

Luke Hodge becomes just the third player in VFL/AFL history to win a second Norm Smith medal after helping to power Hawthorn to a big Grand Final win against the Swans.

30-year old Luke Hodge says he is physically fit heading into the finals for 2014 and that he has no plans to retire yet.

"I'm not aiming to hang the boots up that quickly," Hodge said.

"Everyone knows it's going to finish at some stage, but it's the last thing on your mind, especially when you're coming into a big finals series.

"At the moment I'm enjoying my football, my body's pulling up really well, so I guess it's year by year."

Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge has endorsed young midfielder Liam Shiels as a candidate to succeed him as skipper if he continues to lead the Hawks until his playing days are finished.

"[If we made a change] at this stage, we'd probably look at Jordan Lewis or Jarryd Roughead," Hodge told Talking Footy.

"But if I'm going to go a couple more years, depending what way the club wants to go, then Liam Shiels is another one who stands out."

Luke Hodge believes he can play on for at least "a few more years" and says he has no plans to hand over the Hawthorn captaincy.

"I'll do it for as long as the club want me to," Hodge said.

"I still really enjoy doing it, it's an honour to captain an AFL side – especially one with this history and to see the captains we've had beforehand."

Luke Hodge will miss the Grand Final rematch with Fremantle due to a sore groin.

"He's got a pretty minor ailment and he's been banging the door down trying to tell us that he's OK, but we're better off just taking a week," Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"We think he's probably nearly right to play, but it's just too early in the season to take risks."

Luke Hodge will play on at Hawthorn until the end of 2015 after satisfying a trigger clause guaranteeing him another season.

Hodge was set to become a free agent at the end of next season after re-signing with the Hawks for 2014 in April.

But it is understood that Hodge's strong 2013 season, when he finished fifth in the club's best and fairest award and played 23 games, automatically earned him another season at the Hawks.

Luke Hodge successfully challenges a rough conduct charge at the Tribunal after being reported for making contact with Carlton's Lachie Henderson.

Marc Murphy is set to miss a month with a fractured cheekbone after a collision with Hawk Luke Hodge.

Murphy came off second-best after the collision in the second quarter, and was subsequently taken to hospital for scans in the third quarter.

Luke Hodge is named in the Haks side against the Eagles in round 2 at Patersons Stadium despite initially thought to not yet be ready to play.

"He's raring to go. He's played a couple of trial games for us," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"We're really happy with what he's been able to do with the strong footy block he's had over the last six or seven weeks. Even prior to that, his conditioning and rehab was first class.

"If we thought it was a significant risk, we wouldn't be taking him."

Luke Hodge says he is still finding his feet after a hitout with the Box Hill Hawks in a VFL practice match.

"It wasn't about the possessions or anything like that, it was more about getting the run in to the legs and getting used to the physical contest again," Hodge said.

"It was just about getting in and under to win the contested footy, tackling and getting up and running where I haven't done a hell of a lot of that over the pre-season. So I guess that will be the focus in the next couple of games."

Luke Hodge says he is still a few weeks away from returning to AFL football.

"I will be playing this weekend, but more than likely at Box Hill, just to get some run into the legs," Hodge told Melbourne radio station Nova 100.

"We go over to West Coast in round two, and that's probably too big of a ground to come back on, so more likely would be [round] three or four."

Hawks skipper Luke Hodge says the new rule on sliding has players confused.

"[In] the first couple of games of the NAB Cup you could see that players were unsure," he said.

"Do they go in and get the ball as you have been taught since you were five or six, or do you stand back and let someone else do it and then you get a free kick because they make contact below the knees?

"The AFL has to understand that players have been playing that way for a long time and it is not just easy for them to change those techniques."

Luke Hodge admits to rushing himself for round one last year and says he won't make the same mistake again in 2013.

"I probably shouldn't have [tried to] play the Collingwood game; I tried to train the day before and hurt my calf, and then I missed the [next] four," Hodge told SEN radio.

"Going from that, patience isn't the best part of footballers but that's the attitude we're taking this year, whenever the body is ready, and it's getting very close at the moment."

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson plays down concerns that the side will be without Luke Hodge for the first five rounds of the AFL season, saying the Hawks skipper is a chance to play in round one.

"We've just got to make a judgement on when he starts to play matches and whether he's conditioned well enough to play round one," Clarkson said.

"But he's the captain of our club - it's going to be pretty tempting to select him, I'd imagine, but we'll make that call at the time. We're happy with his progress."

Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge could miss the opening games of the 2013 season as he recovers from stabilisation surgery to his left knee.

''It's one of those ones, we might have learnt a little from last year, with a player like Luke you are far better off bringing them back when they are ready to come back, rather than sort of rushing to get to round one,'' Hawthorn football manager Mark Evans said.

''If he's capable of playing round one, he will, but it could be three or four weeks into the season."

Hawthorn skipper Luke Hodge will have surgery on his troublesome knee this week.

"He's going into hospital next week for an operation to do with his PCL," Hawthorn football manager Mark Evans said.

"It needs some stablisation and they'll have a look at it while they're in there and do a bit of a clean-out.

"He should be running before the end of the year, so he'll just need to take it a little bit slowly. We don't start pre-season until late November, so he'll just be a few weeks behind the rest of the group."

2008 premiership captain Sam Mitchell has offered current skipper Luke Hodge some advice heading into Saturday's Grand Final against the Swans.

"We had a good chat about it and [there's] nothing he won't take in his stride," Mitchell said.

"We talk about a lot of things, so obviously anything to be expected that he might not have expected, we've had a bit of a chat about, but it's not rocket science, we're not breaking information that's going to help him much.

"I just give him a little bit of help, but he doesn't need much."

Tom Murphy has become the heartbreak story of Grand Final week after being dropped from the side to face the Sydney Swans to make way for returning skipper Luke Hodge.

Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge says withdrawing from the preliminary final side to play Adelaide was the right thing to do.

"I called the doc about nine o'clock on Saturday morning, because I couldn't get out of bed," Hodge said.

"I was going from freezing to sweats, and then came around and had a fever.

"I think the biggest thing when I thought I wouldn't be able to play was when I couldn't eat anything; I couldn't stomach anything for at least 24 hours leading into the game.

"So if I had have tried to play I would have been useless to the boys."

Luke Hodge's wife Lauren orders him to play in the Hawks' Grand Final despite expecting the arrival of their second child.

"I actually didn't get a say. Lauren said there's no way in hell you're going to miss the grand final," Hodge said.

"She said I'm not putting up with 20 years of you whinging about not playing in a grand final. So, I can see her point."

Hawk defender Tom Murphy's dreams of playing in a Grand Final could again be trampled if he has to make way for skipper Luke Hodge.

"There's not much I can control now. It's up to the coaches to pick the team," Murphy said.

"There's probably 27 or 28 blokes who can legitimately make a claim to play, and there'll be 22 that play in the end."

Luke Hodge remains in quarantine and isolated from teammates after missing the Hawks' preliminary final match against the Crows with gastro.

Hawthorn skipper Luke Hodge is ready to avoid the red vest in his 200th AFL match after the Hawks opted to take a conservative approach with his playing following his return from injury.

"Hopefully this week [I'll play a full game]," he said.

"I've built the minutes up. I've played about 70-odd in the last two games, so I think I'll be pushing to 90 or 100 this week."

Luke Hodge kicks five goals in his comeback game against Essendon in a performance Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson says was 'beyond our wildest dreams'.

"I felt pretty good out there," Hodge said post-match.

"It's obviously going to be a little while before I'll be able to play full games in the midfield, but we've still got five games to go. Touch wood, I can get through all the games and be fit for finals."

Hawthorn resists temptation to name Luke Hodge, but the skipper has been selected in the Hawks' VFL team.

"The fact is, I haven't played for 12 weeks, and the guys have been playing some good football," Hodge told Channel 10 program Before the Game.

"Considering the intensity the [Hawthorn v Collingwood] game's going to be played at Saturday, I thought I was better off getting three quarters [in the VFL]."

Alastair Clarkson says Hawthorn may wait three weeks before bringing Luke Hodge back into the team.

"The bottom line is, he's played two games of footy in 20 weeks, and we just felt like the best thing for him to do was get some match fitness at Box Hill," Clarkson said.

"We're probably more focused on getting him match-fit so he can have an impact at the greater end of the season, rather than the temptation of bringing him in for a big game when he's a little bit underdone."

Injured Hawks skipper Luke Hodge has re-signed with the club for one year, formally removing him from the unrestricted free agents list at season's end.

"I can't really complain, missing half a season of football, when you look at the injuries that some of my teammates have had in the past," Hodge said.

"I think I've still got four or five years left in me."

Luke Hodge will miss another week of football after the Hawks decided not to play him in a VFL reserves game.

"He's now missed a fair slab of footy through a calf injury early and now a PCL, so we've got to make sure he's properly conditioned," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"It's all about getting him to be match fit and match hardened for the last six or eight rounds of the home and away season."

After a bad loss to Richmond, Hawthorn midfielder Brad Sewell admits his team needs its skipper Luke Hodge back.

"You can't replace a bloke like Luke Hodge on several fronts. Not just his leadership and his grunt but also the way he plays the game," Sewell said.

"To have him on the sidelines is disappointing but he has to get his body right."

Luke Hodge could miss another month of football, with his injured knee not responding well to treatment.

The management process from here is to allow the knee to fully settle before building Luke back up to match levels," Hawks football operations general manager Mark Evans said.

"He is expected to be available in around three to four weeks."

The time frame on Luke Hodge's return remains unclear with the skipper likely to undergo more scans.

"He's still got some swelling in his knee and we just can't take a trick with it at the minute," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"We've probably got to get that re-scanned and looked at again early next week … because it's just not coming good quickly for us."

Hawks captain Luke Hodge could be set for his first game of the season after lifting his training intensity.

"His training has certainly lifted, which gives us some encouragement," Hawthorn football operations manager Mark Evans said.

"It's the same as the last couple of weeks though, we'll have a look at where he's at by the end of the week."

Hawthorn skipper Luke Hodge will undergo a fitness test on Thursday to see whether he flies to Perth to take on West Coast to open his 2012 season.

"It's been frustrating for him, because it feels like we've been in this same mode for the past couple of weeks, but we'll see how he goes tomorrow," Hawthorn football operations manager Mark Evans said.

"It's certainly been slow. For the last three weeks we've felt like he could almost play, but we're being a little bit reserved until we can finally tick that box."

Jarryd Roughead and Jordan Lewis are appointed Hawthorn vice captains for the 2011 season.

"Jarryd and Jordan are well respected leaders within our Club and have shown great leadership for several years, and stepped it up to another level over this pre-season," Hawk skipper Luke Hodge said.

"At Hawthorn we understand that leadership is not left to the three of us, we have an older experienced group and younger maturing guys coming through."

New Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge says ex-skipper Sam Mitchell has been a great help in his transition into his new role.

"The way Sammy left the guys last season, it has been a quite easy job to go into," Hodge said.

"I haven't had to do too much as yet. If it stays that way I'll be rapt. The last three years I've learnt a lot off Sammy. He has helped me out a fair bit. I've always got him there if I'm unsure of anything."

Retired Tiger Ben Cousins will be dropped from the Nova team next year to be replaced by Luke Hodge as their resident footy expert.

"Ben has been so professional the whole time he has been with us and is a fabulous person to work with," Nova general manager Sam Thompson said.

"The way we've always done the footy section of the show is to have current players reporting, who is actually experiencing the games and can tell it how it actually was."

Luke Hodge wins the Peter Crimmins Medal as Hawthorn's best-and-fairest for 2010 with 167 votes ahead of Lance Franklin and Sam Mitchell.

Luke Hodge will be Hawthorn's captain in 2011 after skipper Sam Mitchell relinquished the role.

"It is a great honour to be named captain of this proud club," Hodge said.

"Mitch has been a great captain, leading by example, and helped give our young group the leadership and stability we needed over the past three years.

"Sam has been a mentor to me and has helped me develop my leadership skills both on and off the field. I know I have his full support in my new role as captain and I am looking forward to leading the club in the 2011 season."

Boss of the Geelong Falcons Michael Turner reveals that he had some stern words with a then 17-year old Luke Hodge who he feared would not make the most of his talents.

"Luke took a fair bit of management back then and he would be the first to admit that," Turner said.

"But he had to smarten up and make some sacrifices socially. I said to them 'If you don't end up winning a premiership, All Australian selection and a Brownlow Medal, you won't have reached your full potential'."

Hawthorn vice captain Luke Hodge says he works well with Sam Mitchell and is bemused by speculation he should take over the captaincy.

"We're not too worried about what people on the outside say. We know how we work best as a group," Hodge said.

"I'm just rapt to be the vice-captain to Sammy. If anything changed in the future well every player would love to be the captain of their club, but I'm fully in support of Sammy who is doing a fantastic job."

Sam Mitchell says he understands why outsiders think Luke Hodge should be captain, admitting he sometimes feels that way too.

"I'm sure there are players in our group that think that 'Hodgey' should be captain," Mitchell said.

"Sometimes I think that too because it's just the way he is; he's such a fantastic leader and he does some exceptional things."

Hawthorn vice-captain Luke Hodge has defended his teammates' hand-shaking with their Essendon opponents after club legend Dermott Brereton questioned their jovial attitude following a loss.

"Once the game finishes, I'm never going to be a sore loser," Hodge said.

"If I see a bloke (an opposition player) there, I'm going to go shake his hand and say, 'Good luck for the rest of the year'.

"As far as blokes smiling, I probably don't agree with that, but as far as shaking the hand and saying, 'Well done, mate, [you were] too good on the night', I've got no problems."

Luke Hodge says he has been earmarked for more of a midfield/forward role in 2010 after making a name for himself as a defensive sweeper in Hawthorn's 2009 premiership year.

"Maybe through the midfield and forward. At this stage, I've been training a lot more in the midfield," Hodge said of his likely role.

"I'll probably start that way in the NAB Cup, I would say."

Hawthorn vice-captain Luke Hodge has signed a three-year extension to his contract with the Hawks.

"It's good to be committed to the club for the next three years, it's an exciting time and I wouldn't miss it for anything," he said.

Hawthorn's Luke Hodge is on the verge of agreeing to the terms of a new contract on the eve of his 150th game to be played against Richmond.

"My manager's over in Perth at the moment. They've been talking regularly and it should be done soon," Hodge said.

"It's life membership with the club which is always good. Our focus is pretty much to beat Richmond this weekend and see how we go," he said of his 150th game.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says star Luke Hodge may miss another three games due to an adductor strain.

Luke Hodge may be rested until after the mid-season break to guarantee Hawthorn's key backman is primed for the team's finals push.

"He could play this week if we really needed him to go and it was finals. But we want to get him totally right for the second half of the season which is pretty important for us to build as many wins as we can," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said.

Luke Hodge may be out until after the mid-season break while he battles an adductor injury.

"He's carried an adductor injury for the best part of the last month, but he's such a competitive bull and he wanted to do the right thing by the team because we had so many other defenders out," Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"He tried to get through and two or three games he managed it really well, but last week from early on it was evident that he had lost that turn of speed that he needs to be at his best in the game.

"He's better off having a spell for a little, then we'll get him back and hopefully he'll have a really good second half of the year."

Hawthorn's injury crisis has plummeted to new lows, with Luke Hodge set to miss two games with an adductor strain.

"Hodgy has been playing sore and we've probably got to make a decision over the course of the next week of whether we keep him going or give him a rest for two or three weeks to get it right," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"He has an adductor strain. He's tried for the best part of a month to carry this injury and he's just been below his best."

The report of Luke Hodge and injury to Michael Osborne meant Alastair Clarkson refused to take solace from the Hawks' close loss to Geelong.

As the defensive general, Luke Hodge will be in charge of a vastly different Hawthorn backline for Friday night's Grand Final rematch against Geelong at the MCG.

Luke Hodge has backed Geelong's standing as Premiership favourites ahead of Friday's opening-round Grand Final rematch.

Norm Smith medallist Luke Hodge has admitted he went into last year's grand final against Geelong with some internal bleeding.

"It was internal, I think Brent Guerra did say I bit my tongue," Hodge said.

"I think it was a blood vessel or something, so it was nothing. We knew there was nothing wrong, we tried to say it to the media but they didn't believe us."

Hawthorn name Lance Franklin and Luke Hodge to play their first practice games of the year this weekend.

Hawthorn hard nut Luke Hodge will defy the norm again tomorrow and play in the practice match against West Coast.

Lance Franklin and Luke Hodge are considered strong chances to return this week in Hawthorn's pre-season hitout against West Coast.

Rivals who pierce Hawthorn's rolling zone this year will then have to conquer Norm Smith medallist Luke Hodge's smothering tactics.

Hawks captain Sam Mitchell said yesterday the brilliant switch of Hodge to defence late last year would become a permanent move.

"He's a great swingman but he showed last year that defence is going to be his No. 1 role," Mitchell said.

"If we had three of him we would play him in every area. We have only got one, so he will still swing around a bit. But it's great having some really strong leadership back there."

Retired Hawthorn great Shane Crawford says his former teammate Luke Hodge is the most inspirational player he has played alongside.

"I was fortunate enough to play in teams with the likes of Jason Dunstall, John Platten, Gary Ayres, Darren Jarman and Chris Langford in my time at Hawthorn," Crawford said.

"And I mean this with no disrespect to them, because they were all fantastic in their own way, but Luke Hodge has the greatest on-field presence of any footballer I have played alongside. It's a massive call, but I don't make it lightly."

Luke Hodge, Lance Franklin and Trent Croad among nine Hawthorn premiership players to miss pre-season opener.

Luke Hodge's pre-season training is derailed by surgery, keeping him from full-contact drills for up to three months.