Hodge

[Heropsychodreamer]

Just a thought....

And i'm truely sorry for bringing up Hodge v Judd... as i know it comes up heaps... just want to look at it from a different angle

Could a reason why Judd is seen as such a stronger player be because he is used as more of a midfielder-forward... which in turn allows him to set up/assist goals and kick plenty on his own.
While Hodge has been the midfielder/defender... who controls the backline to hinder the opposition from scoring.

I feel Judd has done more that Hodge so far over their careers, but could a reason that Judd is seen so much high be that Judd has more influence in his teams goals than Hodge?

Because over the last two weeks (and it may just be a good stretch of form), Hodge been among the best and has kicked 3 and 2 as well as some classy assists. Surely if he stays as a mid-for and kicks 1 to 3 a game, he will be considered as top 5 players in the comp

What do people think?
Hero

[Hodge2Franklin]

Just a thought....

And i'm truely sorry for bringing up Hodge v Judd... as i know it comes up heaps... just want to look at it from a different angle

Could a reason why Judd is seen as such a stronger player be because he is used as more of a midfielder-forward... which in turn allows him to set up/assist goals and kick plenty on his own.
While Hodge has been the midfielder/defender... who controls the backline to hinder the opposition from scoring.

I feel Judd has done more that Hodge so far over their careers, but could a reason that Judd is seen so much high be that Judd has more influence in his teams goals than Hodge?

Because over the last two weeks (and it may just be a good stretch of form), Hodge been among the best and has kicked 3 and 2 as well as some classy assists. Surely if he stays as a mid-for and kicks 1 to 3 a game, he will be considered as top 5 players in the comp

What do people think?
Hero

In all honesty Hero, I think the thing is consistency. Hodge's best is better than Judd's best. However Judd is at his best for 22 games a year, Hodge 5 games a year.

Hodge will decide his own fate in the next 15 games if we hold up the cup. If he performs to his best, then no one will dispute the fact (including Eagles supporters) that Hodge is better.

If his form is hot and cold, then the argument is finally over I think.

[Number 24]

In theory I should give you a nice holiday for trolling our board but being a Richmond supporter is punishment enough.

P Off and dont come back.

The man has spoken :eek:

[philhawk]

Well said, Rusty.

I'll say this once for the benefit of opposition fans. You're more than entitled to post in this thread if you attempt to make a reasonable contribution.

Posting "Judd >>>> Hodge" or "Judd is better - end of thread" will only see your post get deleted (and most likely a heavy infraction for infringing team board rules).

First and last warning.

[philhawk]

Just a thought....

And i'm truely sorry for bringing up Hodge v Judd... as i know it comes up heaps... just want to look at it from a different angle

Could a reason why Judd is seen as such a stronger player be because he is used as more of a midfielder-forward... which in turn allows him to set up/assist goals and kick plenty on his own.
While Hodge has been the midfielder/defender... who controls the backline to hinder the opposition from scoring.

I feel Judd has done more that Hodge so far over their careers, but could a reason that Judd is seen so much high be that Judd has more influence in his teams goals than Hodge?

Because over the last two weeks (and it may just be a good stretch of form), Hodge been among the best and has kicked 3 and 2 as well as some classy assists. Surely if he stays as a mid-for and kicks 1 to 3 a game, he will be considered as top 5 players in the comp

What do people think?
Hero

Good post, Hero. I was about to create a similar thread on the matter myself!

I remember towards the end of last year, the only/main criticism I had of Hodgey was the limited influence he had on the team in the forward line.

It seemed that whenever he had a set shot for goal, despite being the best kick in our team, he'd always shank it. In addition, his 10 goal contributions over the entire season just didn't seem like enough for a premier midfielder.

Look at him now, he's kicked 5 goals in 2 weeks and is really starting to cause headaches when he plays in the forward line.

That said, if any part of his game can be improved - he needs to start taking more of those marks on the lead when he plays in the forward line instead of dropping them!

[Heropsychodreamer]

In all honesty Hero, I think the thing is consistency. Hodge's best is better than Judd's best. However Judd is at his best for 22 games a year, Hodge 5 games a year.

Hodge will decide his own fate in the next 15 games if we hold up the cup. If he performs to his best, then no one will dispute the fact (including Eagles supporters) that Hodge is better.

If his form is hot and cold, then the argument is finally over I think.


Cheers H2F & Phil... at least we got two decent reply :). I agree consistency is the thing... though i guess they are on par when they are both performing... and you are right, Judd just does it week in, week out. But hodge isnt exactly inconsistant

I just feel playing moreso in the backline, his talents are less 'media friendly' than Judd, who has more say in goals.

[frankc]

One really has to love Richmond supporters. There team is 0-9-1 and they still ponce about as if they are in the top four.

At the end of the day, I don't think Hodge's best is better than Judd. I think at his best, he is a very damaging and constructive player, but I think Judd just as a magnatism about him which goes beyound possessions which will always mean he will be placed above his peers.

To me, what Judd does is of no consequence. Hodge is without question a class player and was responsible for breaking the game open against West Coast. Those three goals he scored where as good as anybody could produce.

The thing that really impresses mean about our team at the moment is the consistency across the whole team. Not only are the stars standing up (i.e. Mitchell, Franklin, Hodge, Crawford etc), but the form of McGlynn, Sewell, Young etc has been a revelation. McGlynn inparticular has been outstanding. Also Tim Boyles progress has been very pleasing.

In fact, Williams has not been missed and once he returns it can only add to an already strong and varied forward line.

It is the rise of our middle bracket players which has led to our better form.

[MinerBoy]

In all honesty Hero, I think the thing is consistency. Hodge's best is better than Judd's best. However Judd is at his best for 22 games a year, Hodge 5 games a year.

Hodge will decide his own fate in the next 15 games if we hold up the cup. If he performs to his best, then no one will dispute the fact (including Eagles supporters) that Hodge is better.

If his form is hot and cold, then the argument is finally over I think.

Have to disagree here H2F. He has been far better than 5 good games a year. Top 2 in the past 2 B&Fs, plus an AA in 2005. You have marked Hodgey harshly here. He has been beset by injuries through the course of his career and let's face it - Judd is just a superstar. Players just don't make the huge impact from the word go that he has. If Judd wasn't in that draft then Hodge would already be considered an elite player. For some reason, and playing off the HBF is a contributing factor, people cannot judge him on his own merits. It always has to be in comparison to Judd.

[Heropsychodreamer]

Have to disagree here H2F. He has been far better than 5 good games a year. Top 2 in the past 2 B&Fs, plus an AA in 2005. You have marked Hodgey harshly here. He has been beset by injuries through the course of his career and let's face it - Judd is just a superstar. Players just don't make the huge impact from the word go that he has. If Judd wasn't in that draft then Hodge would already be considered an elite player. For some reason, and playing off the HBF is a contributing factor, people cannot judge him on his own merits. It always has to be in comparison to Judd.

You're right... my new question.. would Hodge be in the top 5 players in the league if he had more impact on goals, played a more aggressive role than a defensive one

[MinerBoy]

You're right... my new question.. would Hodge be in the top 5 players in the league if he had more impact on goals, played a more aggressive role than a defensive one

Possibly, as was seen yesterday he had less possies than when roaming the backline but they had such a huge impact on the outcome of the game.

He's probably top 30 at the moment regardless of where he plays. There are a lot of good players out there, so top 5 - who knows. If he continues to be used in a more damaging mid/forward role, then I certainly see him elevating himself to top 10 status.