Brad Hodge

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Ill Chicken

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Pretty sure if there was an issue with Hodge he would have been flushed from the state system as well. Blokes that are no good generally move around a fair bit. Hodge has been a one club, one state man and has been shafted for being Brad Hodge, a quality cricketer that backs himself.
 

aussierulesrules

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Well, according to Hodge, the reason he hasn't been picked for Australia in recent years is that: "Six years ago, when I was 31, I was told I couldn't play for Australia again because I would not make the World Cup ODI side in four years. I wish the current selectors were around then because now it seems that form, not age of whatever, is the key to selection." (Herald Sun)
Whatever the reason's, as far as his cricket is concerned (especially in ODI cricket), he has been incredibly stiff. The last time he was in the Australian ODI side, he was in atrocious form, like Shaun Marsh is now in the test side, but instead of letting him go back to domestic level to get his form back, before being re-instated in the Australian team, they kept picking him, basically throwing him to the wolves.
That was the one time I was wishing they wouldn't pick him, as he was in pretty much career-worst form. But they kept picking him, when it was obvious he wasn't going to make a run and if they were looking for a reason to be able to not pick him again (if there were personality clashes, or whatever), they played it perfectly, picking him when he was out of form, so that they could at least say "well we gave him his chance and he blew it".
Then, a couple of years later, he gets into the very best form of his career and over the course of a couple of seasons makes hundred after hundred in the one dayers, putting him head and shoulders above anyone else at that level, in that comp, yet he doesn't get another chance, even when there were genuine openings. :confused:
That is stiff, especially when you consider there was a World Cup up for grabs at the time he was making so many runs. Maybe by then they didn't want to make the call to tell him he would be playing in the comp they said he wouldn't be a chance of playing in 4 years earlier. Wouldn't surprise me. And lets not forget, it was Hilditch and co picking the team. The same ones who picked Phil Hughes to play in the Ashes last year when he was averaging around 11 in the current Shield season and picked Steve Smith in pretty much every game Australia played in. There is a reason pretty much everyone in the country wanted them sacked from their selection duties.

As for those that reckon it must be his personality, or that he is hated by those in the teams he plays in, etc, I doubt that is a big issue, if at all, at least these days, when you consider what the likes of Hayden said about him, or what those in the commentary box for his games on Foxtel say about him.
On Foxtel, the likes of A.B., Greg Blewett, Damien Fleming and Mark Waugh sound genuinely bewildered when they watch Hodge smash yet another century and talk about why he isn't getting a look in for Australia.
Surely if he was in fact hated by all, word would have gotten around and the likes of them would be very well aware of it, and they would just go quiet when talk of Hodge potentially playing for Australia came up, or they just wouldn't bring it up to begin with. But it's usually the exact opposite. And when they interview him before, during, or after games, they usually have a great time and a laugh with him. If he was such a "knob" they wouldn't want to have a bar of him. But it appears to be the exact opposite, as it does when they talk about Hodge's time in the commentary box with them. They seem to genuinely enjoy his company and I'd say there's no way in hell they would want him anywhere the commentary box if he is in fact a "prick", that is "full of himself".

Even if he was those things, as someone said here yesterday, you ought to be professional enough to overcome little issues like that and do your JOB, if you're in a professional sports team.

I know it's not sport, but you could argue that in music you have to actually be closer and more in synch than those in sports teams, yet you hear on a regular basis about those in bands absolutely HATING each other, yet when they go into the studio, or on stage (where you have to be/perform more as a "team" than those playing cricket, for instance) they're able to perform at an incredibly high level.

Think Fleetwood Mac (just about all of them), during Rumours, The Rolling Stones (Mick v Keith), The Eagles (Don Henley v Glenn Frey), Oasis (the Gallagher brothers say hello!), Guns N' Roses (Axl v just about all of them), The Police (Sting v Stewart Copeland) and the list goes on. You even hear about bands where some of them in it have full-on fist fights during the songs in their concerts, yet are able to still perform well.

If they were all able to come together for the greater good, and kick massive amounts of ass, I'm pretty confident those in the Australian cricket team could have played cricket with Brad Hodge and been professional about it, especially when they're getting paid as much money as they were and are supposed to be grown up.
 
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Doesnt help when Brad Hodge is Brad Hodges own no. 1 ticket holder!
You say that like it's a bad thing and you say it like it isn't the same with other cricketers (even other professional sports players).

A healthy ego is needed to drive a person to succeed at the highest level.
 

BACCS

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Surprising that he's been left out of the T20 squad.
Nothing to do with age - Brad Hogg got selected at 40 after 3 years in retirement.
Because besides Bailey, we have younger batsman doing the same job (with some doing it better) as Hodge right now, while Hoggy didn't have a lot of competition for the spinners spot with SOK and Doherty pretty average during the BB.

Hoggy is also a crowd favourite, Hodge not so much.
 

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Surprising that he's been left out of the T20 squad.
Nothing to do with age - Brad Hogg got selected at 40 after 3 years in retirement.
Brad Hogg has the best economy rate out of any bowler in the BBL, which is just as important as taking wickets IMO. And when he has been taking wickets, they have been at crucial times. Add to this the fact that no other spinner has been putting pressure on his new spot during the BBL, and there really is no comparison between Brad Hodge and Brag Hogg.
 

mediumsizered

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Ian Botham. Herschelle Gibbs. Tony Greig.

I find it amusing that some people refer to team harmony as a reason to leave a player out of the team. Lucky for Australia in the 1930s that the Australian selectors didn't decide Bill O'Reilly was expendable because he didn't get along with The Don.
 

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Re: Who's missus did Brad Hodge pot?

Maybe in another life, he will work out that being a team man counts for a lot. He clearly isn't a very good team man. Oh well, it is a unfortuante, because there is no doubting the fact that he can play the game.
BF myth

Matthew Hayden disagrees with the mouth breathers around here and he was actually on the team.
 
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I regard David Hussey as far more unlucky to have not had an extended test career.

Ever era has some. You can put Tom Moody, Stuart Law, Jamie Siddons and Martin Love all in the unlucky category. Move on Brad.
 

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MAXIMUM GAWNAGE

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Brad Hogg has the best economy rate out of any bowler in the BBL, which is just as important as taking wickets IMO. And when he has been taking wickets, they have been at crucial times. Add to this the fact that no other spinner has been putting pressure on his new spot during the BBL, and there really is no comparison between Brad Hodge and Brag Hogg.
Surely he's outperformed George Bailey, who was selected on the back of some average form and was made captain, despite having never represented Australia.
Don't get me wrong, Hoggy has been one of my favourite players. I was only using him to refute the "Hodge is too old" argument.
 
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I give you a challenge BF.

Find me one credible source that labels Hodge a prick, an arrogant jerk or someone who teammates don't enjoy being around. One. That's all. One newspaper article. One quote from a teammate. One extract from a book. Anything. One. That's it.

Until you do so, stop claiming that bullshit as fact.
 

Kram

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lol, is this still going on? Sure the bloke was unlucky at times but was given a go in the national side and failed..
 

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lol, is this still going on? Sure the bloke was unlucky at times but was given a go in the national side and failed..
Exactly.


Time and time again Hodges individual scores have been posted on this forum, showing just how poor he was at international level.

He was a less than average batsman. Wasnt up to it at all.
 

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lol

Hodge was the dominant state batsman for years, tragic he wasn't given a proper chance as the likes of Hussey were
 

thecatattack

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lol, is this still going on? Sure the bloke was unlucky at times but was given a go in the national side and failed..
6 matches, 11 innings, 503 runs, high score 203*, 55.88ave, 1 century & 2 fifties.

That's hardly a failure.
 

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Not sure whether Kram/Smokey are trolling or not. In the unlikely situation where they are stating their earnest opinions; you're both dim-witted.

Just take a look at Brad Hodge's international record before making such preposterous comments.
 

Andrew Mc

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lol

Hodge was the dominant state batsman for years, tragic he wasn't given a proper chance as the likes of Hussey were
On what basis was Hodge _the_ dominant state batsman? He's only received one state player of the year award (which was shared). Surely with years of dominance, he'd have 4 or 5 at least.
 

aussierulesrules

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That would probably be dependent on which format of the game you're talking about. He's been clearly the most dominant in the past 3 seasons in one day domestic cricket, for instance.
I mean think about it. Cameron White made the second most runs for Australia in ODI cricket for the 12 month period leading up to this time last year, but I think everyone who follows Victorian state cricket, or who sees lots of Bushranger matches on Foxtel, knows that Hodge is miles better than White in one day cricket, if not all forms.
So if White was able to make over 1000 runs in ODI's for a year, second only to Shane Watson for us in that period, many of us just scratch our heads and wonder what Hodge would have done if given the same opportunities, at that same time, when he was in career best form.
That is why so many of us are pissed off, because as much as we like to see our state teams doing well, we want to see the best playing for our country, because that is ultimately what we care about the most and we see it as a big missed opportunity when they are not.
I find it insulting to see the "oh he's backing Hodge he must be from Victoria" bullshit. Maybe those suggesting that only back those from their own state, but that doesn't mean we all are that narrow minded, or that we all only follow our own states progress. In recent days I've come out strongly in defense of those who are saying "Marsh is a spud" and ignorant shit like that. I strongly backed Hilfenhaus before the first test in Melbourne. I was strongly for bringing Harris back in when he was fit again and last summer I was saying how I thought it was a big mistake that we weren't playing Hauritz in the test team. Etc. Of course it seems it was OK that I was saying all those things, but as soon as I start strongly backing someone who happens to be from my state, some with the brain the size of a pea come out with the "you're backing Hodge, you must be from Victoria" bullshit. It's very bloody ordinary.
 

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On what basis was Hodge _the_ dominant state batsman? He's only received one state player of the year award (which was shared). Surely with years of dominance, he'd have 4 or 5 at least.
I assume you mean Shield player of the year and only 1 player won it multiple times, another Victorian who didnt get much chance

But it rewarded players who had 1 good season and no obvious criteria to it either
 
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