This is an edited version of the feature that ran in the AFL Record in the lead-up to Hawthorn's round seven clash with the Sydney Swans.
IT IS hard to measure the impact Luke Hodge has on the Hawthorn team he leads.
You could do it in kicks and handballs – of which he gets plenty – but that would be to sell him short.
Or you could point to his versatility; players who can play back, forward or in the midfield are rare, and highly rated by Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson.
Hodge's greatest value, however, may lie in his ability to inspire those around him to higher deeds, something he does through both words and actions.
The Hawthorn skipper is widely regarded as one of the AFL's ultimate leaders, and his strength in this area has been on show for all to see this season.
On the back of an injury-riddled 2012 and an off-season posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, the 28-year-old has guided his team through a testing opening stretch with trademark hardness and determination.
If his strong form after a limited preparation (Hodge did not play any NAB Cup games) has surprised some, teammate Shaun Burgoyne is not one of them.
"I don't think any of the players at our club would have ever questioned the impact he'd have once he got out there, because he genuinely leads by example," Burgoyne told the AFL Record.
"His major strength is his competitive instinct.
"You know he's going to have a fair dinkum crack and give it 100 per cent every single time.
"That's why the players look up to him, because of his unconditional attack on the footy.
"He never picks and chooses; he just goes every time.
"It's something he has done from the first game he played."
Hodge could not quite get out there for Hawthorn's round one clash with Geelong, instead gaining match practice in the VFL.
He made a surprise return the following week against West Coast at Patersons Stadium, where he had earlier flagged he was unlikely to play due to the ground's enormous size.
It was a show of just how highly he sits in Clarkson's esteem that he was given the call-up, despite his limited build-up.
"I got a phone call from 'Clarko' on the Wednesday and he said, 'What are your thoughts on going to Perth?'" Hodge recalled.
"I thought he was just joking around. He said if I did go, I wouldn't be on (Jack) Darling or (Josh) Kennedy, because their workload is high – they stay on the ground for most of the game and they cover a fair bit of ground.
"So he said I'd be on the resting ruckman.
"As soon as the coach asks if you want to play, you're never going to say no."
Hodge spent the game in defence, collecting 25 disposals and laying four tackles in a stirring 50-point win.
But it was back in Melbourne the following week, on the MCG against Collingwood, that the football world really noticed he was back.
In a performance every bit as inspirational as his Norm Smith Medal-winning game in the 2008 Grand Final, Hodge went back into the midfield and collected 31 possessions – 17 contested – and booted two goals.
Whenever the Magpies pressed, he answered. As players threw themselves on the football like logs on a fire, so often it was Hodge in first, absorbing the most heat.
Typically self-deprecating, Hodge pointed to the favourable weather conditions when asked about his game.
"It rained a bit, so all the quick blokes slowed down to my pace, which helped a bit," he said.
But others could not hold back their praise.
Coach Clarkson described his captain as a "warrior", while Jordan Lewis said Hodge’s presence had given the entire team a boost.
"He's obviously got extreme talent in terms of his playing ability, but to walk out into battle behind him, it puts confidence in your mind," the Hawks vice-captain said.
"He's got the trust of the players. You never doubt him."
But go back a month or two, to before the season started, and there had been doubts – at least from the outside.
Commentators and fans, in pubs and online footy forums, wondered whether the tough left-footer’s best days were behind him.
Had the injuries taken a toll, and the game passed him by?
Hodge knew he just needed a clear run, and those questions would be quickly answered.
His 10 games last season came in patches, interrupted by calf, then knee problems and finally by a bout of sickness that laid him low for the preliminary final.
He played, as Burgoyne described it, "under duress" after returning from his mid-season knee injury, waiting until after the finals to have it properly fixed.
"I never really got a chance last year to play consistent football," Hodge said.
"My biggest patch was seven games toward the end of the year."
With a strong block of games now under his belt this season, he feels he will only get better from here on in.
"When you miss a lot of the pre-season, your consistency is the thing you have issues with," he said.
"The first couple of games back were OK, and then it's just getting the body back used to dealing with the pace and intensity of AFL footy on a week-to-week basis.
"Even after playing so many years, your first month or six weeks are always the toughest to get used to.
"The best part is, the body is still feeling fresh, so that's the main thing."
As his fitness continues to build, so too will Hodge's midfield time, although he does not expect to spend full games on the ball.
He believes it helps the team to have players changing into the centre square in high rotation.
It makes them harder to tag, and offers a chance to get into the game in a different position when struggling.
"I realise, especially with how quick the game is these days, there's not many blokes who can play four quarters on the ball," Hodge said.
"It helps having a coach who will throw you across half-back or up forward if need be.
"But if you start to get a bit of the ball in the middle, the coaches will leave you there."
The round seven Grand Final rematch against the Sydney Swans brought to a close the most difficult opening seven weeks imaginable for Hawthorn, having faced every other 2012 finalist.
Brown and gold-clad supporters may have been eager to exact a small slice of revenge on the Swans for the 10-point defeat on September 29 last year, but for Hodge, the match was only about advancing his team's record to 6-1 and increasing its top four chances.
The Hawks of 2013 are about the here and now, and brooding about what can't be changed does not fit that mantra.
"To be honest, I haven't reflected that much on the Grand Final loss this year," Hodge said.
"Obviously it was disappointing– you put your whole pre-season and whole season into that last day, so to let it slip away was disappointing and frustrating.
"But if you worry about the past, you’ll never move on with the future."
Teammates know their chances of getting reward for that hard work this time around will be far higher if their skipper can stay fit.
As a former opponent during his days at Port Adelaide, Burgoyne knows well the effect the mere sight of Hodge can have on his own team, and on his opponents.
"When you first come up against a player, you form an opinion straight away, and the opinion you form on 'Hodgey' is that he's going to have a crack and you're in for a long day," Burgoyne said.
"He's built that reputation because he's done it consistently for a number of years. That's why everyone admires him."
