Luke Hodge says former teammate Grant Birchall will relish free agency switch to Brisbane Lions
Grant Birchall has been tipped to fill Luke Hodge’s boots at Brisbane and his former Hawthorn teammate is confident he will prove a shrewd recruit for the Lions.
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A high football IQ, back-to-front knowledge of Chris Fagan’s coaching philosophy and a love of being one of the boys.
They are just some of the qualities that will make four-time premiership player Grant Birchall a big hit at the Brisbane Lions in 2020.
And that assessment comes from someone who knows what he is talking about – Luke Hodge.
Hodge and Birchall played at Hawthorn together from 2006 to 2017 and were integral parts of four premiership triumphs under Alastair Clarkson and his right-hand man Fagan.
Birchall, 31, is following in the footsteps of his great mate by leaving the Hawks as an unrestricted free agent and heading to the Gabba where he will arrive with the priceless experience of 248 senior games.
The veteran halfback played 240 games up until the end of 2016 but a long-term PCL knee injury, a broken jaw and a hamstring problem have limited him to just eight more matches in the past three seasons.
His undoubted class was on show when he collected 24 disposals against Brisbane in Round 17 last season after a 741-day absence from the top level.
Hodge said Birchall will relish being part of the tight-knit Lions squad.
“He’s a country bloke, a really good lad much like Linc McCarthy. He loves just being one of the boys,’’ Hodge said.
“One difference I’ve noticed up here `is that when there is a catch-up outside of the footy club, 30-odd blokes show up. If there is an extra running session, 20 or 30 will show up to that too.
“In Melbourne, because so many guys are from there, they tend to splinter off into smaller groups or they have their school friends from outside footy.
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“With so many guys on the Lions list coming from interstate, everyone tends to stick together and he’ll love that. He’ll fit in no worries at all.
“Guys like Hugh McCluggage and Jarrod Berry are good country boys as well and they really drive the culture at the club which is great because they are the sorts of blokes you want to build a footy club around.
“It’s a genuinely tight-knit group that enjoys spending time together and you can see that on the field.’’
Hodge said Birchall’s football IQ would make him a prized recruit.
“He only played three games last year but you could see he was streets ahead of other people on the field,’’ Hodge said.
“He reckons his running ability has dropped back a little bit but he has the footy brain and the skills to more than make up for it.
“He gets along with Fages really well and completely understands the gamestyle. He would have watched a fair bit of the Lions last season too so he will hit the ground running.’’
Brisbane’s younger players will return to pre-season training on November 18 with the rest of the squad chiming in on December 2.