Hawks optimistic on Luke Hodge's return despite latest setback

HAWTHORN hasn't given up on captain Luke Hodge being fit and firing in time for the finals.

HAWTHORN hasn't given up on captain Luke Hodge being fit and firing in time for the finals.

The Hawks remain optimistic despite Hodge's swollen knee forcing him to back off training this week.

"I would never write off Luke Hodge, anyway. He's just such a competitor. His level of fitness at the moment is pretty good and what he'll need to get up is match conditioning," Hawks football manager Mark Evans said today.

"You would probably think he would have to have three to four games to get himself up to that reasonable level of match conditioning. So, there's plenty of time left in the season for Luke Hodge. And he's as determined as ever."

Hodge's injury setback came as he stepped up to full training in a bid to return, possibly even against the Western Bulldogs this Sunday.

"He gets frustratingly close, but he doesn't quite get there. This time he has trained really solidly for the last couple of weeks, but has just got a bit of fluid on the knee," Evans said on SEN.

"So, we've decided that rather than let him commence playing with that, to drain it, to treat it and let it settle. He'll probably be back into full training by the end of this week.

"It ought be a minor setback, but we're conscious that every week it seems like we're saying Hodgey will play next week, so we probably just have to respect that.

"Ultimately it will be fine. But with PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) injuries, sometimes you do get a little bit of a flare-up in the joint. We've had experience with that with Shaun Burgoyne, Ben Stratton, and sometimes the joint just takes a little time to settle down.

"That's the frustrating thing for Hodgey. He's back at a good level of function and the knee just hasn't responded to this last little (training) session that he did. We're pleased with how he's going, but he has to get the line, obviously.

"He has certainly had full tilt training sessions. But what you can't replicate is that absolute full tilt nature of a game. When he did that, that was how he copped a knock and his back and his hip stirred up. And a quarter later, he has copped a knock to his knee. He was going pretty hard in that game."