Luke Hodge says finals heartbreak this year will only serve as motivation for Hawthorn

LUKE Hodge has backed Friday night’s heartbreak to be another pivotal moment for the overthrown Hawks.

LUKE Hodge has backed Friday night’s heartbreak to be another pivotal moment for the overthrown Hawks.

Hawthorn’s tilt at history was derailed by a rampant Western Bulldogs outfit on Friday night, which is set to face GWS in a historic preliminary final after defeating the Hawks by 23 points at the MCG.

The skipper, who has played in four Hawthorn premierships and recently signed a one-year deal for 2017, said it is such bumps in the road that help to build greatness.

And the Hawks will be back.

“Without a doubt,” Hodge said post-game.

“We’ve had a lot of hiccups in the past — that’s what built the last three years. If you go through it — 2011 the Collingwood prelim loss, 2012 the Sydney Grand Final loss.

“I know a lot of the guys are feeling the same as what we did those days back then. It’s all about regrouping, working on a lot of things that we need to improve on from this year so we can hit next year full of run.”

A disappointed Luke Hodge leads the Hawks off the MCG after the loss to the Dogs. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Hodge, 32, admitted it felt like the Dogs ran the dominant Hawks off their feet in the third quarter, capitalising on fast ball movement.

He was adamant the team’s hard-fought two-point qualifying final loss to Geelong was not a factor in their fatigue, describing the feeling of loss as “raw”.

“The reason I play footy is to play in Grand Finals and win Grand Finals,” Hodge said.

“We’ve fallen two games short. But we gave it everything. I thought our endeavour and our attack was really good — we just came up against a really good Bulldogs team.

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“We had our opportunities early and probably didn’t capitalise and then when they got it on their terms in that third quarter, I think it was 115 to 50-odd touches. It was similar to when we played them last time, but we got away with a win last time. This time we didn’t.”

Coach Alastair Clarkson said his team will need to adapt or perish in 2017 as it looks to rebound and counter changes in the game, highlighting the team’s inability to win free kicks for holding the ball or incorrect disposal.

Marcus Bontempelli pushes Luke Hodge in a marking contest before taking the grab and kicking the goal. Picture: Michael Klein

“The game’s changed in terms of interpretation,” he said.

“How can you lay 104 tackles and not even 20 of them be done for holding the ball for incorrect disposal?

“So that’s where the game has changed a bit in terms of interpretation so we’ll have to get better in that aspect.

“That is a significant change in terms of how the game’s been umpired.”

The Bulldogs’ clash with the Giants at Spotless Stadium is shaping up to be a thrilling affair — not that the thought of what could play out was on Hodge’s radar.

“I reckon if the Bulldogs play like that, like they did tonight and last week, and we saw what GWS can do … no doubt it’s going to be a good game but it’s the last thing on my mind,” he said.

Originally published as Luke Hodge says finals heartbreak this year will only serve as motivation for Hawthorn