AFL great Luke Hodge to have mentoring role with Brisbane Lions in 2020

Most footy fans assumed newly-retired AFL great Luke Hodge would move straight into coaching with the Lions once hanging up his boots. But he’s revealed his new role will keep him closer to home.

Luke Hodge

Being able to tuck into a guilt-free big breakfast and long lunch on a recent holiday to celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary was the first sign for Luke Hodge that his retirement from the AFL was sinking in.

Now the Hall of Famer in-waiting is ready to rip into his new role at the Brisbane Lions, where he will be a mentoring coach in 2020.

The four-time premiership player, dual Norm Smith Medallist and veteran of 346 senior matches – including 41 with Brisbane across 2018 and 2019 – will act as a sounding board for the club’s leadership group all the way down to the Lions’ rookies in a weekday gig at the Gabba.

Luke Hodge will be Brisbane’s Mentoring Coach in 2020

He will not have a game-day role with Brisbane this season as the Lions coaching staff “is very settled and they are all really good at their jobs”.

Hodge plans to do some media work on weekends as well as delivering on a promise to wife Lauren to spend more time with his young family.

Watching his three sons play junior sport, playing some social basketball and T20 cricket himself, and very lightly pencilling in a half-commitment to start training for the Gold Coast Marathon are also items on his busy post-playing agenda.

“It’s a little bit of development stuff with the younger guys and some mentoring with the leadership group and helping out where I can and just pitching in at training,’’ Hodge said of his new role at Brisbane.

Luke Hodge with wife Lauren and sons Chase, Leo and Cooper at the Queensland Preview Screening of Disney’s The Lion King.

“Some of the things you pick up over 18 years you take for granted, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity to sit, talk and teach the younger guys coming through.

“Having played with a lot of the guys, it’s good to have that close connection with them and be somebody they can trust. I know what they are going through as players.

“I’ll still be going to Lions games whenever I can. Sometimes it’s good to have eyes from afar watching the game compared to being in the coaches box because you pick up different things.

“I promised my wife two years ago that I’ll finish up and help more around the house, so I wasn’t going to jump straight into an assistant coach role where you are working five or six days a week and travelling with the team.’’

Luke Hodge leaves the field as a player for the last time after Brisbane were beaten by GWS in the second week of the AFL finals.

Allen Christensen and Hodge at the Lions’ best and fairest. Pic: AAP

Hodge expects Brisbane to be very driven in 2020 by the “hurt” of losing both finals this season after rocketing into second on the ladder after the home-and-away rounds.

“It felt like it was a little bit of a let-down after such a good season. Talking to the guys, they are using that as motivation,’’ he said.

“As much as we all felt pain and frustration at the time by going out in straight sets, Fages has always been big on improving, developing and getting better, and while we got better last year, we’ve still got a lot of improvement in us in 2020.’’

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Hodge said after the Easter Thursday blockbuster against Collingwood at the Gabba last year, along with bumper crowds for clashes with Geelong and then Richmond in the finals series, the Lions were getting used to the bright lights of prime time footy and would revel in next season’s fixture, which includes two Thursday night and two Friday night matches.

Meanwhile, Brisbane have secured a ball sponsor for the first time since 2016, with former co-major partner Oaks Hotels to feature on the club’s match and training footballs.