Chris Fagan reveals the text message that ended up luring Luke Hodge to Brisbane Lions

IT was the joke text that lured Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge out of retirement to join this year’s wooden spooner the Brisbane Lions and rock the AFL world.

Luke Hodge and Chris Fagan both started at Hawthorn and are now together again in Brisbane.

IT was the joke text message that lured four-time premiership hero and Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge out of retirement to join this year’s wooden spooner, the Brisbane Lions, and rock the AFL world.

Brisbane’s Tasmanian coach Chris Fagan told the Sunday Tasmanianhis initial approach to former Hawks skipper Hodge was innocent enough.

But the idea smouldered along until the end of the season before Hodge announced he would be moving north to restart his career after 305 games in brown and gold, including 125 as captain, with the Lions on a two-year contract.

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“I’d always thought all year we needed a few more experienced heads out there on the oval, but I didn’t for one minute think it would be Hodgey,” said Fagan, the former Hawks football director.

“In fact it was around his 300th game (Round 17 against Geelong) I sent him a text, ‘If you get to the end of the year and you feel like you want to keep going it is nice and warm up here, mate. We need an on-field assistant coach type person’.”

“I even gave it the old ‘ha ha’ at the end of it so just joking and a couple of weeks later he sent me a text saying he might be interested in chatting about that.”

Luke Hodge heads to Brisbane to continue his career.

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan was formerly at Hawthorn.

Talks were put on hold until after the Hawks champ was chaired off into retirement after a win against the Western Bulldogs in Round 23.

“It turned out he was still interested so it transpired from there,” Fagan said.

“I must admit it happened pretty innocently in the first instance; it was more me having a bit of a joke.”

Brisbane hopes to get 15 games out of Hodge next year, but it is more about his on and off field impact rather than kicks, marks and handballs.

“We know he’s past his best but he can play a role for us in the backline and organise on field, which is great,” Fagan said.

“There are no expectations he is going to come in and play the whole season.

“Probably around that 15 game mark, probably avoid the long trips.

“We’ll just see how he goes. If it is 10 its 10, it is whatever it is.

Former No.2 draft pick Josh Schache was traded to Western Bulldogs. Picture: Jono Searle

“He’s with us for two years and he’s a great resource for our players on and off the field.”

The Lions picked up Hodge and Adelaide speedster Charlie Cameron in the recently completed trade period, and lost former skipper Tom Rockliff and 2015 No.2 pick, key forward Josh Schache.

The “go home” factor was a key in losing Schache to the Bulldogs, but Fagan said the impact of homesickness was not as big as made out to be.

“I think it is overrated, everyone loses players,” the first-year coach said.

“At my time at Hawthorn, (Lance) Franklin goes, Bradley Hill goes.

“They go.

“Really we recontracted everybody this year, including Josh, but he just felt that need.

“Sometimes you’ve got to take the selfishness out of it and do the humane thing.

“For us it was doing the humane thing.”

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