Hodge was a good player, no doubt about it and not really his fault the Vic media fawn over his supposed ruffian good bloke charm. I tell you though hes damn clever and sneaky, would be a nice way of putting it. He used the never cry wolf tactic to absolute perfection.
When "Hodgey" would suffer a full on coat hanger high tackle in full view of the ump, he`d never throw his head back, never remonstrate, just get up and take his kick. Commentators: "what a Legend, so courageous, so tough, yardy yardy yah".
Then next moment in a pack, with poor ump vision, bodies everywhere, strong man Hodge is violently thrown out of the pack, head flying back, wincing and grabbing at his neck. Ump: "Free kick hawthorn". Slow Mo: total fake.
Hes like Warney, Warney would set up the umps, talking to them, being matey, explaining how this was going to turn and which one was going to go straight on. Hodge does the same, basically setting them up "if Hodgeys arms flap up he must have been held because last time he was scragged he just heroically carried on".
He used this tactic on us in that Prelim at Subi we lost in 2014, when the third ump was miking up to watch Ballas and Hodgey did a flappy arm manoeuvre off the ball, that resulted in a goal that was totally unwarranted.
Yeah Hodge is a good player but hes no tougher than half the footballers out there. Certainly no tougher than McManus, Ballantyne, Fyfe and Cook.
Barlows tougher than Hodge.
