The Tackle: Hawthorn skipper Luke Hodge is a natural born leader with talent to burn

TO the end, Luke Hodge was all about his teammates. Live chat with Robbo from 11.30am.

Hodge cup

TO the end, Luke Hodge was all about his teammates.

In every interview, he spoke of the pain of last year’s loss, the dedication to the preseason, the intensity and focus of the last month, and how “the boys” came together as a team.

While Hodge was about everyone else, everyone else was about Hodge after the game.

Hawthorn’s history boasts a catalogue of leaders, including John Kennedy Sr, Graham Arthur, David Parkin, Don Scott, Leigh Matthews, Michael Tuck, Jason Dunstall, Shane Crawford, in a different way Richie Vandenberg and, of course, Sam Mitchell, the premiership skipper of 2008.

In Hodge, the Hawks have a revered figure.

He wasn’t best afield on Saturday, but he was instrumental in the back half doing the usual Hodge gig.

That’s setting up, that’s spoiling, that’s being the release kick, that’s being in the right place at the right time making the right decisions.

He had 21 touches, almost half were contested, he took a handful marks, made a handful of tackles, won a handful of clearances, and gave wholly to the contested.

There was one play, where he was outnumbered but put in two and three efforts, and found himself driving Hayden Ballantyne into the MCG turf.

In the pandemonium of the rooms on Saturday, a convoy of people spoke glowingly of Hodge’s leadership.

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The president Andrew Newbold:

"Clarko deserves to be a two-time premiership coach and I really think Hodgey deserves to be a premiership captain," he said.

"Wouldn’t you love to be Hodgey’s mum or parents, the way he goes about it ... I would.

"He’s just an outstanding individual.

"We have great leaders and it’s not an accident, nothing happens by accident.

"This club sets out to recruit the right people at all levels."

The most significant?

"Dunstall ... he epitomises the club in that he doesn’t seek the accolades, as doesn’t Hodgey. It’s a team thing at Hawthorn. There are no individuals who will claim credit."

The teammate Brad Sewell:

"It’s a cliche, but he’s a man among men," Sewell said.

"His ability to lead a team, to lead a club, and I have t be careful with what I say here, but his intelligence is of a different kind.

"He’s got this rare ability ... his standards are really high and we joke about it all time, but he’s got the ability to ask things that nobody else can. Nobody takes offence because that’s who he is.

"It’s really hard to explain. You know he’s so loyal and you know he’s doing everything he can possibly for the team, so he can ask of you whatever he wants because regardless of what it is, you know there’s a motive for it, and you know his intentions are of the utmost.

"And nobody questions.

"We have a rare leader. I might be talking out of school here but I’m under the impression John Turnbull drafted him for that reason.

"And it’s taken him a little while to mature in that sense.

"On the ground we can see what he can do, but in terms his own maturity and growing into the leadership he’s capable of, it’s taken him a little longer ... but it was worth the wait.

"What he does out there, what he does behind closed doors is always the right decision.

The assistant coach Brett Ratten:

"He’s a great leader of men, he stamps himself on games with his physicality and his direction," Ratten said.

"A lot of clubs admire what he does ... he’s got presence and most leaders do."

The bloke from Colac who watched Hodge grow up, Jack McCarthy, who is also the grandfather of Jonathan Simpkins:

"He’s a gun. He grew up alongside us in Colac, they are bloody good people," Jack said.

"We live in Bullock Swamp, about 10km from Colac. When we go away and people ask us where we are from, we say Bullock Swamp, and they say where the hell is Bullock Swamp? So we just say Colac.

"I knew him when he was a bloody kid. When he went to the Falcons he was a gun, at school football, when he was seven or eight you knew he had it.

"Didn’t he hold them up today and I tipped Brian Lake (for the Norm Smith Medal) and the other bloke I would’ve given it to was Hodge, because just steadied and steadied, didn’t he? He flipped it around, out the side ... he was bloody good."

The former teammate Shane Crawford:

"Hodgey is a wonderful tough leader who would do anything for the team," Crawford said.

"He’s had a lot of pressure on him from day one when he was drafted, and he was injured, and the comparisons to Judd and so forth, and, you know, he’s a two-time premiership player now, a premiership captain, a Norm Smith Medallist, and I think he’s getting better and better as a captain.

"Everyone loves Hodgey, whether it be his teammates, the supporters, everyone loves Hodgey."

LIFE AFTER BUDDY LOOKS BRIGHT FOR HAWKS

TO BORROW a line from Tom Harley in the Channel Seven commentary box - I agree with you Leigh.

We'll all be staggered if Buddy Franklin doesn't accept the millions on offer from GWS, and when he departs the Hawks should not panic.

They have re-orchestrated their forward line to the point where Franklin was one cog and not the whole machine, and it worked again on Saturday.

Leigh Matthews said yesterday: "They've played very well when he hasn't played ... that's the great thing.

"Clearly they want to keep him. But Jobe Watson would be a greater loss for Essendon, for instance. "(Joel) Selwood would probably be a greater loss for Geelong."

So, Franklin is gone, which means for the first time in almost a decade, Jarryd Roughead will be the No.1 man in the Hawks forward line.

It will be interesting analysis next year.

Roughead has been able to play second fiddle to Franklin for most of his career, although this year, as discussed by Dermott Brereton in Saturday's Herald Sun, he has become to the Hawks' go-to man.

Next year, Roughead will get more attention because Buddy will be gone, which means his responsibility rockets.

Roughy

He had a bummer of a finals series until after half-time against the Dockers.

He didn't sniff it against Sydney and Geelong, and his first half on Saturday yielded just thee kicks and two marks.

His second half was a monster. He kicked two goals in the third quarter when the Dockers were surging, and also played a period in the midfield. His second half returned 17 possessions, including a team-high nine in the final quarter.

It was Roughead at his versatile best, managing to scrounge three clearances when played as a midfielder.

You suspect next year it will be more key forward than key on-baller, and it will be an opportunity for Roughead to take hold of this team and lead.

What a terrific challenge it is.

Isaac Smith

LIKES

1. Big bomb
Isaac Smith seized the moment at the start of the fourth quarter, with a 60m drop punt to extend the margin to 17 points. 1) Smith did what the majority couldn't and that's kick long and straight and 2) the Hawks knew they had withstood the best of Fremantle in the third quarter and Smith's goal was a gut punch to Fremantle's self-belief.

2. Jack Gunston
Unlucky not to win the Norm Smith with three goals in the first half when Roughead and Franklin couldn't find it. But his best was his momentum-stopping goal moments before three-quarter time. The kid is class, just ask the Dockers defence.

3. Tackling
The Hawks had three more possessions (336-333) and a sizeable tackle margin (79-64) which, against the best pressure team in the competition is one of the reasons why the Hawks were victorious. Even with Sandilands' dominance (55-27 hit outs), the Hawks won the clearance count (42-34).

4. David Mundy
Gave him top votes as the game's most influential attacking midfielder, although Fyfe was close in spite of two misses in the first quarter. Mundy's third quarter was quality, collecting eight possessions and three clearances, and with Barlow and Hill, rallied to get his side within three points of the Hawks. Finished with 28, seven tackles, seven clearances and not once looked overawed in the heat of a Grand Final.

5. Ryan Crowley
The pre-match commentary of the violence and aggression threatened to be apt in the first quarter when Crowley and Mitchell found themselves on deck. After that, it was vintage Crowley. He gathered 15 touches and two clearances, while Mitchell had 12 touches, seven tackles and three clearances. Both men deserve credit. Crowley for sticking to the task and Mitchell for applying a strong defensive game when winning the ball became an issue.

6. Jordan Lewis
Hand up, Lewis slipped through the cracks in the first half with just nine touches and three clearances. By the end he was a roughie for the Norm Smith with 25 touches, four tackles and eight clearances. Lewis did his best work in tight. He had a team-high 13 contested possessions and forever and a day had to dust himself off after yet another stoppage. You know what he was, he was tough in the clinches and exactly what the Hawks needed.

7. Hawks defence
Dominated the first quarter, and by the end, would have to say three of Hawthorn's best five were defenders: Lake, Hodge and Birchall. Lake was the fairytale and the footage of his boy running on to the MCG to give the old man a hug were the endearing images of Grand Final day. Hodge was strong at the back and briefly in the midfield, although his penchant for kicking the ball off the ground and not picking it up was curious, while Birchall buggered up just five of his 26 possessions. He didn't record a tackle, so he had to provide run and carry.

8. Michael Johnson
Thought he was the best of the Dockers defenders, having to stand Franklin, Roughead, Hale and Gunston and not giving up a goal. Took a team-high eight marks and had 20 possessions, with just three of them not finding an opponent. Unsung leader at the Dockers.

9. Max Bailey
One of a multitude of good stories. The numbers aren't high - seven touches, nine hit outs, one mark and three important clearances - but suspect Bailey won't care about the numbers. Countless times he would've considered retirement after the first and second and third knee reconstructions and now he is a premiership player.

10. Respect
The Dockers gave Grand Final week verve and on the day, colour and noise. Respect to most of them for staying for the presentation.

Rioli tackle

DISLIKES

1. Wasted opportunities
It's such a cliche but it's also such a game killer. Where do you want to point the finger? Fyfe, Mundy, Barlow, Hill, Crowley, Ballantyne and Suban all missed goals, some being easier than others. There was also the issue of out of bounds on the full, and kicks falling short and either rushed or swept from defence. 1.6 to half time was always going to make it difficult.

2. Chicken wing
It's almost the perfect tackle, pinning one hand behind the back while the other can't get rid of the ball, but it's a nasty look. Cyril Rioli has perfected it. I suspect he doesn't do it to inflict pain on his opponent, but at the same time said opponent must hate it. Time for the AFL to step in. It has to be considered under rough conduct.

3. Hayden Ballantyne
This karma crap that a lot of people are spewing on social media is unfair. Ballantyne worked hard, and looked dangerous at times, but failed when kicking for goal.  He was not alone. Ballantyne's problem will be dealing with his own demons. He would think he lost the Grand Final when in fact more than Ballantyne lost the Grand Final.

4. Zac Dawson
Usually the heart is in the mouth when he has to handle the ball, but that wasn't the issue with his seven handballs. The issue was being beaten one-on-one. Roughead kicked two third-quarter goals on him and Gunston got another, and he gave away four free kicks on the way through.

5. Brian Lake
Brilliant job at the back and deserved of Norm Smith, but you can't run through Michael Walters, clip him on the jaw, and then thrust the arms in the air as if to say I didn't touch him, or I didn't mean it. Elbow aside, Lake was magnificent. Can't work out, however,  why the umpire didn't give the incident a 50m penalty.

6. Chris Mayne
Maybe it's because he's set such a high standard, maybe it's because his usual defensive actions were missing, maybe we're just looking for scape goats. It just wasn't his day on Saturday, although his 55m goal in the third quarter to get his team within a kick was a game highlight. He didn't touch the ball in the first quarter, and neither did Matthew Pavlich.

7. Franklin saga
Yes, it is a big story and the strong suggestion since the final siren is that Franklin has played his final game for the Hawks. That's life as a professional footballer, but it still doesn't mean you have to like it. Buddy doesn't want to leave, you can see it and feel it and hear it in his voice, but the money is obscene. As plenty of Hawks said yesterday, thanks for the memories in the brown and gold.

8. The game
Intense, at times brutal, and the strong wind mate it difficult to convey flow-on football. Too many kicks missed targets, which meant the game was a scramble for longer periods than most in a game football.
 
BEST TWEETS

@daj4423: L -  that the Norm Smith was a battle between a forward and back when all Australian & brownlow is about a midfielder.

@bigbutchy21: dislike- the stage being brought out in front of afl members before medal presentation! Couldn't see anything!!!

@timrosen35: Likes: The Sandilands/Mundy combination in the 3rd quarter. Most dominant clearance display of the season!

Mundy

@shibz_1989: likes: finally experience grand final week and day dislikes: Brian lake winning the NS despite a possible suspension...

@bigbutchy21:  like- buddy...and the memories he leaves. It's a formality now. Cant turn that offer down. Thanks for the memories Buddy.

@matt_schoey: dislike ch 7 missing all but the last 25 seconds of Brady's "one day in September" because of ads. #missthespiritoftheday

@chardy999: Like: Fyfe. Kid going to be a champion. Dislike: Fyfe and all his mates missing crucial chances in the first half.

@GregPankhurst: dislike the fact Lyon haters have jumped on him after yesterday. Even without a GF win, his coaching record exceptional

@FightingTard:  D Biggest game of the year was a snoozefest. L Rioli chicken wing finally being looked at

‏@boof08:  Likes; Luke Hodge, great leader. Shiels under rated player. Dislikes; Rioli, gutless chicken wing,inconsistent in big games

@davidtilley1882: L: Gunston! The long lead, the turn, the fend off. Can't teach that! D: Ch 7 20sec count to the bounce. Show the matchups!

@BigSnap:  dislike Sam Mitchell not giving his opponent respect in the post match interviews. You got beat mate. Be happy with flag.

@holtman: like Max Bailey persevering after three knee recos to win a richly deserved premiership medallion

@Craig_Doherty: really like the kids greeting their dads after the game, great to see #family

@boof08:  Likes; Freo spirit, could have been blown away but keep fighting. Sandilands and Mundy, two of Freos best yesterday.

‏@Sports_Tragic1: I think Isaac Smith's @Issie16 monstrous outside 50 set shot goal gave @HawthornFC the belief they would win.

@sandyp3016: As a Bulldogs member I hate that Lake won the Norm Smith.  Why couldn't he do it for us! Macca was on the panel! The pain!!

‏@shawry_analyst: Likes Hawks 11-19 into Brian Lake 80/1. @EWFiney_SEN Friday evenings tip!! #loadupRobbo

@palkal03: like Hawthorn's ability to identify areas of need and recruit to suit ! Lake Gibson Burgoyne Hale Gunston !

@Declan_Bluenose: @RealRossLyon's assessment post-game, huge like! No bullshit, no excuses - huge respect for the boss

@Matthew_Dower:  Hawthorn didn't really win the game, Freo lost the game. Thats where it was decided

@MichaelMickack: dislike the umps didnt pay a 50 against lake when he elbowed the freo player. #howcouldumpmissthat?

@Haraash:  like standing on the G with my 11 yo at his first flag win and just cherishing the moment

@goughy95: Like: Ryan Crowley's job on Mitchell. Dislike:  Ross Lyon's decision to sub Zac Clarke.

Crowley and Mitchell