List Mgmt. 2024 Father Son watch MKIII. Operation Ashcroft jnr. Featuring various academy boys.

[Jivlain]

 

[scoman]

I think it might be easier to just steal them from another club Melbourne style. Gold Coast should have developed another key defender nicely once Harris is ready to retire

Fagan already working on Gibson, Roughy and Frawley for the post Andrews era.

 

[M Malice]

Fagan already working on Gibson, Roughy and Frawley for the post Andrews era.

It is my understanding we will be offering Lance Franklin a 2 year deal to reunite with Fages.

 

[Miller1971]

Until we watch the end of season U17 match versus Vic Country, I’m not going early on our other academy kids, even though I have high hopes for a few.

I genuinely hope our academy stops playing so many over age kids in the Talent League team next year.

If he’s not drafted this year, the only one I’d have in the team would be Billy Richardson.

And I hope we pick our top 17 and 16 year olds in the team. Talent over physical maturity.

McDonald I’d have in the VFL team if he continues to play.

The only over ager they should pick in next years Level 3 team is Tristen Meekin, as he missed his entire 18th year with a knee.

Makes no sense to pick 19 year olds, especially when they will be flush with an elite group of 17 year olds to develop. Maybe even play one or two of the better 16yr olds in Hodge, Levi, Thomson and Owens.

 

[M Malice]

Imagine the meltdown at the Hawks if Cooper Hodge chose the Lions via the academy over the Hawks via father/son.

ANOTHER HODGE ON THE WAY?​

THERE might be another Hodge in the AFL in the not-too-distant future.

Cooper Hodge, the son of Hawthorn icon Luke, was named in the under-15 All-Australian team following an eye-catching carnival in Ballarat last week.

The four-time premiership great has four sons and Cooper is the eldest and will be eligible as a father-son selection in the 2026 AFL Draft, given Hodge played 305 games in the brown and gold.

The Hodges currently reside in Queensland after Hodge finished his playing career at Brisbane, where Cooper is a member of the club's academy, creating another avenue for him to enter the AFL.

 

[StevoJenkins]

Imagine the meltdown at the Hawks if Cooper Hodge chose the Lions via the academy over the Hawks via father/son.

ANOTHER HODGE ON THE WAY?​

THERE might be another Hodge in the AFL in the not-too-distant future.

Cooper Hodge, the son of Hawthorn icon Luke, was named in the under-15 All-Australian team following an eye-catching carnival in Ballarat last week.

The four-time premiership great has four sons and Cooper is the eldest and will be eligible as a father-son selection in the 2026 AFL Draft, given Hodge played 305 games in the brown and gold.

The Hodges currently reside in Queensland after Hodge finished his playing career at Brisbane, where Cooper is a member of the club's academy, creating another avenue for him to enter the AFL.

I hope we can make it happen. Would be funny, but also the end of F/S.

 

[Dalions]

Imagine the meltdown at the Hawks if Cooper Hodge chose the Lions via the academy over the Hawks via father/son.

ANOTHER HODGE ON THE WAY?​

THERE might be another Hodge in the AFL in the not-too-distant future.

Cooper Hodge, the son of Hawthorn icon Luke, was named in the under-15 All-Australian team following an eye-catching carnival in Ballarat last week.

The four-time premiership great has four sons and Cooper is the eldest and will be eligible as a father-son selection in the 2026 AFL Draft, given Hodge played 305 games in the brown and gold.

The Hodges currently reside in Queensland after Hodge finished his playing career at Brisbane, where Cooper is a member of the club's academy, creating another avenue for him to enter the AFL.

I might be wrong but I thought that Hodgey himself has said before that Cooper, being the eldest, still followed the Hawks due to being brought up mostly with his Dad as a Hawk, but the younger ones now follow the Lions.
Not sure if that has since changed due to the fact that he has now been up here for 5-6 years.

 

[Squizz89]

Imagine the meltdown at the Hawks if Cooper Hodge chose the Lions via the academy over the Hawks via father/son.

ANOTHER HODGE ON THE WAY?​

THERE might be another Hodge in the AFL in the not-too-distant future.

Cooper Hodge, the son of Hawthorn icon Luke, was named in the under-15 All-Australian team following an eye-catching carnival in Ballarat last week.

The four-time premiership great has four sons and Cooper is the eldest and will be eligible as a father-son selection in the 2026 AFL Draft, given Hodge played 305 games in the brown and gold.

The Hodges currently reside in Queensland after Hodge finished his playing career at Brisbane, where Cooper is a member of the club's academy, creating another avenue for him to enter the AFL.

I doubt a Hodge would choose any team other than the Hawks given his dads record there, unless of course the old man was coaching perhaps .

 

[Nathan Barley]

I doubt a Hodge would choose any team other than the Hawks given his dads record there, unless of course the old man was coaching perhaps .

Do a Blakey?

 

[Warwick]

I hope we can make it happen. Would be funny, but also the end of F/S.

I’d say it’s more likely to be the end of the academies.

I mean the big argument of the academies is to provide a pathway to the AFL for skilled youngsters who would otherwise be playing the other codes.

Could you imagine if the son of footballing royalty was a northern academy selection rather than FS.

Collective heads down south would implode.

 

[Nathan Barley]

I’d say it’s more likely to be the end of the academies.

I mean the big argument of the academies is to provide a pathway to the AFL for skilled youngsters who would otherwise be playing the other codes.

Could you imagine if the son of footballing royalty was a northern academy selection rather than FS.

Collective heads down south would implode.

Works the other way too. If Michael Voss had kids with a lady born overseas he could've been taken as an NGA

Maybe the academies stop families moving from Queensland to give their kids the best chance at footy

I think the best move is to make the bidding system better to stop clubs having megadrafts

 

[Dalions]

You do kind of get the impression that the Hodge family pretty much consider themselves Queenslanders now.

 

[briztoon]

Some of the Hawks BigFooty board (because it’s the only one that counts, ya’know) have a sense of resignation/acceptance that Cooper will likely choose the Lions.

 

[Viceregal]

Didn't one of our Lion's greats have a kid who got picked up or was an option through one of the southern NGAs ... don't remember it being an issue for them then (yes I know)

 

[Nathan Barley]

Didn't one of our Lion's greats have a kid who got picked up or was an option through one of the southern NGAs ... don't remember it being an issue for them then (yes I know)

Chris Johnsons kid

 

[briztoon]

Chris Johnsons kid

At Essendon.

 

[BigCat2]

Didn't one of our Lion's greats have a kid who got picked up or was an option through one of the southern NGAs ... don't remember it being an issue for them then (yes I know)

Nick Blakey. Eligible to us and North as F/S, and Swans academy. Buy because North and us are not big powerful Vic clubs, people just shrugged.

 

[Miller1971]

I don't know them personally, but I've heard from many people that the intention would be for Cooper to play at the Lions if it gets to that point and if hes good enough. Though like many kids that age, the first point of call would be to go wherever you are wanted, no guarantee the Lions or Hawks will actually want to draft him

 

[M Malice]

I don't know them personally, but I've heard from many people that the intention would be for Cooper to play at the Lions if it gets to that point and if hes good enough. Though like many kids that age, the first point of call would be to go wherever you are wanted, no guarantee the Lions or Hawks will actually want to draft him

Is it too early to say how good Cooper is/could be, I assume he is right near the top of his age bracket as of now being in the Under 15 AA side?

Is he a mid?

 

[Miller1971]

I don't put much faith in the school system, especially up here.

He is a good Div 1 player in u15 local footy, but there are plenty well ahead of him. Morningside for example had 3 lads in the state u15 side, but are basically holding up the local u15 ladder. Victoria Point also had 3, and they are down the bottom as well.

Hodge wasn't picked in the Lions u16 side, and 2 or 3 others his age were. I'm not a massive academy fan, but put more faith in 'footy people' who see the boys train and play for a few months before picking a side to identify talent ahead of a bunch of school teachers who see them for 2 or 3 days at a mickey mouse carnival where margins are often over 100 points.

The best 2008 born kids in Brisbane in my view are Owens, Levi and Thompson and the best 2008 kid in QLD is comfortably Jervis from Palm Beach.

Just an opinion of course, and Hodge has made the AA side and is definitely in the conversation. I think 2008 is a weak age group, well behind the 2007 crop and not sure any of them are actually draft quality to be honest.

 

[briztoon]

Is it too early to say how good Cooper is/could be, I assume he is right near the top of his age bracket as of now being in the Under 15 AA side?

Is he a mid?

Selected as a half back flanker.

 

[p4p1]

I don't put much faith in the school system, especially up here.

He is a good Div 1 player in u15 local footy, but there are plenty well ahead of him. Morningside for example had 3 lads in the state u15 side, but are basically holding up the local u15 ladder. Victoria Point also had 3, and they are down the bottom as well.

Hodge wasn't picked in the Lions u16 side, and 2 or 3 others his age were. I'm not a massive academy fan, but put more faith in 'footy people' who see the boys train and play for a few months before picking a side to identify talent ahead of a bunch of school teachers who see them for 2 or 3 days at a mickey mouse carnival where margins are often over 100 points.

The best 2008 born kids in Brisbane in my view are Owens, Levi and Thompson and the best 2008 kid in QLD is comfortably Jervis from Palm Beach.

Just an opinion of course, and Hodge has made the AA side and is definitely in the conversation. I think 2008 is a weak age group, well behind the 2007 crop and not sure any of them are actually draft quality to be honest.

Success at that age means next to nothing either IMO. It can be an indicator but kids mature different differently, some will have reached close to their full height others won't be close etc.

 

[mpal6]

I might be wrong but I thought that Hodgey himself has said before that Cooper, being the eldest, still followed the Hawks due to being brought up mostly with his Dad as a Hawk, but the younger ones now follow the Lions.
Not sure if that has since changed due to the fact that he has now been up here for 5-6 years.

It's the other way around. He managed to be around current Lions players so much that Cooper turned out to be a Lions fan at a young age.

Cooper choosing Lions is very likely at this stage which some Hawks fans are also aware of.

Curb your enthusiasm, Hawk fans

Less than a year out of the game himself, Luke Hodge is already being bombarded with questions about his boys and their possible AFL destination.

www.sen.com.au

 

[Miller1971]

Success at that age means next to nothing either IMO. It can be an indicator but kids mature different differently, some will have reached close to their full height others won't be close etc.

correct.

In fact there was some analysis done of QLD draftees and if you make the QLD u12 side, you are almost guaranteed NOT to be drafted! Then the u15 side has an incredibly low strike rate as well!

Guys like Payne, Andrews, Ryan, Smith, Oxley, Cameron, Fullarton, Hipwood, C.Beams, Chol, Allir and so many more weren't on the radar until they were 17-18.

There are exceptions like Fletcher, Wagner, D.Beams, Keays, Bowes, Dawson and Martyn who were all consistently elite juniors.

 

[p4p1]

correct.

In fact there was some analysis done of QLD draftees and if you make the QLD u12 side, you are almost guaranteed NOT to be drafted! Then the u15 side has an incredibly low strike rate as well!

Guys like Payne, Andrews, Ryan, Smith, Oxley, Cameron, Fullarton, Hipwood, C.Beams, Chol, Allir and so many more weren't on the radar until they were 17-18.

There are exceptions like Fletcher, Wagner, D.Beams, Keays, Bowes, Dawson and Martyn who were all consistently elite juniors.

Does not surprise me at all.
I remember years ago, a study showed across a bunch of sports that required being drafted that people born during the first 6 months of the year were quote a bit more likely to be drafted by pro teams. It was down to more often than not being more mature than those born in the last 6 months of the year, being identified early which allowed them to get more specialized coaching as they went through the ranks that they still had as an advantage over the 'younger' kids when they physically caught up to them.

 

[McIvor]

Imagine the meltdown at the Hawks if Cooper Hodge chose the Lions via the academy over the Hawks via father/son.

ANOTHER HODGE ON THE WAY?​

THERE might be another Hodge in the AFL in the not-too-distant future.

Cooper Hodge, the son of Hawthorn icon Luke, was named in the under-15 All-Australian team following an eye-catching carnival in Ballarat last week.

The four-time premiership great has four sons and Cooper is the eldest and will be eligible as a father-son selection in the 2026 AFL Draft, given Hodge played 305 games in the brown and gold.

The Hodges currently reside in Queensland after Hodge finished his playing career at Brisbane, where Cooper is a member of the club's academy, creating another avenue for him to enter the AFL.

There is hope; I read that Nick Blakey turned down the opportunity to join his Dad’s club as father / son including us via Fitzroy and North to stay in Sydney where his family lived and join the Swans.

So it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he wants to stay local - one can hope anyway provided he’s good and wants to join the Lions.