Luke Hodge talks about potential AFL return

FORMER footy superstar Luke Hodge has spilt the beans, claiming he’s interested in returning for another club.

Comeback!?

RETIRED Hawthorn superstar Luke Hodge may be returning to the AFL for the Brisbane Lions after a shock announcement on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old retired earlier in the year as the Hawks bowed out of the 2017 season, but a word with Lions coach Chris Fagan has put the thought of a footy return in Hodge’s head.

“(Fagan] knew I was still passionate about playing footy but I guess the main thing is we’ve got to make a few decisions as to what’s best for the family as well,” Hodge told Channel Seven’s Talking Footy podcast.

“There’s still a lot of water to go under the bridge. We’ve had a few discussions, but it’s a decision we’re not going to rush into. We’ve had a couple of chats with ‘Fages’, I think both parties are interested.”

Brisbane went through hell in the 2017 season, claiming the damning wooden spoon — and they’ll need all the help they can get going into next year’s season.

“The discussion has happened pretty quickly, I haven’t had that much time to think about it,” Hodge said.

“But I’ve given that much to the Hawthorn footy club. The reason why I’m probably contemplating this is the joy I had last year playing with the younger guys and helping them develop – it’s probably another stage of my development if I do want to coach a bit more.”

Is he coming back?

HODGE OPENS UP ON ‘THAT’ KISS

Hodge made headlines around the country during the 2014 grand final as his side pulverised Sydney Swans.

But it wasn’t for his stellar effort to earn the year’s Norm Smith Medal as the Hawks downed the red and whites in a 21.11 (137) — 11.8 (74) bloodbath.

The plucky midfielder caught the MCG’s eye after planting a kiss on Sydney’s Lance “Buddy” Franklin late in the third quarter. Franklin — who was playing his first season for the Swans after leaving the Hawks for a historic $10 million deal — looked bemused as his former teammate smooched him on the cheek.

The Swans were dead and buried by that stage in the game, leading some to label Hodge’s smacker a “kiss of death”.

Hodge opened up on the strange moment on Channel Seven’s Talking Footy podcast, claiming his emotions were running high on the thought of destroying Sydney in a grand final after being famously defeated by them in 2012.

“I don’t know why I did that — I still don’t know why I did that,” he said.
“That was a special one because it was my 250th as well. But it was more what Sydney had done to us two years earlier and obviously with Bud going up there trying to take the premiership of us.”

Hodge said he wasn’t angry with his former teammate but admitted it was a tasty touch of revenge for his old teammate as the Hawks sat over 50 points ahead.

“The kiss for Bud, it wasn’t inspired by anger,” he said. “It was just two blokes and we’ve been through a lot and I think Bud took it the right way.

“I think everyone else took it the right way. It’s not like when (Will Langford) Langers tried to kiss (Jarrad) McVeigh earlier this year. I don’t know how that went across. That was the motivation.

“The build up for that game was ‘remember what they did in 2012’. Bud has gone up there to win a premiership, to take a premiership off us. It was a bit of revenge and obviously you don’t want to see Bud getting a premiership.
“We saw it two years earlier with Sydney getting their medallions and we had to sit there and watch. You didn’t want a former teammate to do that to you.”

Cute.