Luke Hodge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Luke Hodge |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Hodge in 2025
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Luke Hodge | ||
| Nickname(s) | The General | ||
| Date of birth | 15 June 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Colac, Victoria, Australia | ||
| Original team | Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 1 (PP), 2001 national draft | ||
| Debut | Round 5, 2002, Hawthorn v. Richmond, at Melbourne Cricket Ground |
||
| Position(s) | Midfielder / defender | ||
| Career highlights | |||
|
|||
Luke Hodge, born on June 15, 1984, is a famous former Australian rules football player. He played for the Hawthorn Football Club and the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). Hodge played for Hawthorn from 2002 to 2017. He was the team's captain from 2011 to 2016. In 2018, Hodge joined the Brisbane Lions and retired in 2019.
Hodge started his career playing as a defender. Later, he also played in the midfield. He won four AFL premierships, which are like championships. He was also a premiership captain three times. Hodge won the Norm Smith Medal twice, an award for the best player in the Grand Final. Many people see him as one of the most respected players in the sport, especially for his leadership.
Luke Hodge holds several records for a number-one draft pick. He played the most VFL/AFL games (346). He is the only number-one draft pick to win a Norm Smith Medal. He also won the most premierships (4) among number-one draft picks.
Contents
Early Life and Football Beginnings
Luke Hodge was born in Colac, Victoria, a town in Victoria, Australia. As a child, he supported the Richmond Football Club. His favorite player was Matthew Richardson.
Hodge started his football journey with the Geelong Falcons Under 18 team. He was a very talented young player.
AFL Career Highlights
Playing for Hawthorn (2002–2017)
Luke Hodge was picked first in the 2001 AFL Draft by the Hawthorn Football Club. This was a very big deal! He made his debut in 2002. He played as a half-back flanker and also in the midfield.
In 2005, Hodge was named in the All-Australian team. This team features the best players from across the league. He also played for Australia in the International Rules series.
Hodge became the sole vice-captain of Hawthorn in October 2007. He was again named in the All-Australian team in 2008. He also played for Australia in the International Rules team that year.
A huge moment for Hodge was winning the Norm Smith Medal in the 2008 AFL Grand Final. This award goes to the best player on the field in the Grand Final.
In 2010, Luke Hodge became the captain of the Hawthorn Football Club. He took over from Sam Mitchell.
Hodge led his team in the 2012 AFL Grand Final. He played a big part in the team's success.
In 2013, Hodge played in the 2013 AFL Grand Final against the Fremantle Dockers. Hawthorn won, giving Hodge his second premiership. It was his first premiership as captain.
Hodge had another great year in 2014. He played his 250th career game in the Grand Final. The Hawks beat the Sydney Swans to win their 12th premiership. In this game, Hodge won his second Norm Smith Medal. He became only the third player ever to do this. He also captained the team to his third premiership, and his second as captain.
Luke Hodge was known for his amazing performances in finals games. Especially during Hawthorn's three premiership wins in a row (2013, 2014, and 2015). Because of this, some people called him "Mister September." This is because AFL finals usually happen in September.
In July 2017, Hodge announced he would retire from Hawthorn at the end of the season. His last game for Hawthorn was a 9-point win against the Western Bulldogs.
Playing for Brisbane Lions (2018–2019)
In October 2017, Hodge decided to move to the Brisbane Lions. He was officially traded during the trade period.
Hodge had a great 2018 season with the Lions. He played in 19 games and showed strong leadership. He received a lot of praise from his teammates and coaches. Everyone noted his big positive impact on the team. He continued to be a great leader both on and off the field. He retired from playing football in 2019.
Career Statistics
| G | Goals | B | Behinds | K | Kicks | H | Handballs | D | Disposals | M | Marks | T | Tackles |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2002 | Hawthorn | 15 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 157 | 76 | 233 | 57 | 24 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 10.5 | 5.1 | 15.5 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 1 |
| 2003 | Hawthorn | 15 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 121 | 73 | 194 | 55 | 39 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 8.1 | 4.9 | 12.9 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 4 |
| 2004 | Hawthorn | 15 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 159 | 76 | 235 | 62 | 56 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 10.6 | 5.1 | 15.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4 |
| 2005 | Hawthorn | 15 | 21 | 9 | 15 | 347 | 234 | 581 | 112 | 59 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 16.5† | 11.1 | 27.7 | 5.3 | 2.8 | 15 |
| 2006 | Hawthorn | 15 | 22 | 6 | 9 | 313 | 199 | 512 | 89 | 90 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 14.2 | 9.0 | 23.3 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4 |
| 2007 | Hawthorn | 15 | 24 | 23 | 14 | 319 | 222 | 541 | 130 | 96 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 13.3 | 9.3 | 22.5 | 5.4 | 4.0 | 16 |
| 2008# | Hawthorn | 15 | 20 | 20 | 8 | 290 | 171 | 461 | 114 | 70 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 14.5 | 8.6 | 23.1 | 5.7 | 3.5 | 2 |
| 2009 | Hawthorn | 15 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 234 | 190 | 424 | 71 | 68 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 12.3 | 10.0 | 22.3 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 7 |
| 2010 | Hawthorn | 15 | 22 | 15 | 12 | 335 | 209 | 544 | 89 | 125 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 15.2 | 9.5 | 24.7 | 4.0 | 5.7 | 16 |
| 2011 | Hawthorn | 15 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 325 | 209 | 534 | 106 | 76 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 14.8 | 9.5 | 24.3 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 17 |
| 2012 | Hawthorn | 15 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 121 | 70 | 191 | 44 | 18 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 12.1 | 7.0 | 19.1 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 2 |
| 2013# | Hawthorn | 15 | 23 | 11 | 11 | 349 | 152 | 501 | 115 | 81 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 15.2 | 6.6 | 21.8 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 15 |
| 2014# | Hawthorn | 15 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 370 | 181 | 551 | 130 | 79 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 16.8 | 8.2 | 25.0 | 5.9 | 3.6 | 12 |
| 2015# | Hawthorn | 15 | 21 | 21 | 8 | 366 | 196 | 562 | 130 | 93 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 17.4 | 9.3 | 26.8 | 6.2 | 4.4 | 13 |
| 2016 | Hawthorn | 15 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 226 | 117 | 343 | 85 | 48 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 15.1 | 7.8 | 22.9 | 5.7 | 3.2 | 3 |
| 2017 | Hawthorn | 15 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 276 | 164 | 440 | 119 | 47 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 14.5 | 8.6 | 23.2 | 6.3 | 2.5 | 0 |
| 2018 | Brisbane Lions | 2 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 248 | 122 | 370 | 121 | 38 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 13.1 | 6.4 | 19.5 | 6.4 | 2.0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Brisbane Lions | 2 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 278 | 94 | 372 | 128 | 39 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 12.6 | 4.3 | 16.9 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 0 |
| Career | 346 | 194 | 150 | 4834 | 2755 | 7589 | 1757 | 1146 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 14.0 | 8.0 | 21.9 | 5.1 | 3.3 | 131 | ||
Awards and Achievements
Luke Hodge achieved many great things in his football career.
Team Achievements
- 4× AFL premiership player (Hawthorn): 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015
- 2× Minor premiership (Hawthorn): 2012, 2013
- TAC Cup Premiership (Geelong Falcons): 2000
Individual Awards
- 3× AFL premiership captain: 2013, 2014, 2015
- 2× Norm Smith Medal: 2008, 2014
- 3× All-Australian team: 2005, 2008, 2010
- All-Australian team captain: 2010
- Hawthorn captain: 2011–2016
- 2× Peter Crimmins Medal: 2005, 2010
- AFLPA Best Captain Award: 2014
- AFLPA Madden Medal: 2019
- 3× Australian international rules football team: 2005, 2014, 2015
- Jim Stynes medal: 2014
- AFL Rising Star nominee: 2002
- Ron Barassi Medal (MVP in U18 IR Series): 2001
- U18 International Rules Representative: 2001
- AFL/AIS Academy: 2001
- Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee: 2025
- Hawthorn Hall of Fame inductee: 2024
Personal Life and Nickname
Luke Hodge married his high school girlfriend, Lauren Kirkman, in 2009. They have four sons: Cooper, Chase, Leo, and Tanner.
He earned the nickname 'The General' because of his strong leadership. This nickname was also the title of his autobiography, published in 2017.
In February 2020, Hodge played in a special cricket match. It was called the Bushfire Cricket Bash. He played for Ricky Ponting's team and did very well. He scored 11 runs quickly and even took a wicket.
Media Career
After retiring from playing, Luke Hodge started a career in media. He often appears on a Melbourne radio station during the football season.
In 2011, Hodge was a contestant on the TV show Australia's Greatest Athlete. He also worked as a special comments commentator for Channel Seven's football coverage while he was still playing. Since 2020, he has been a permanent part of their Friday night commentary team.
