THE HAWTHORN coaching staff might have already marked his cards, but skipper Luke Hodge has yet to rule himself out of the Easter Monday blockbuster against Geelong at the MCG.

Hodge said on Monday he would train later in the week in a bid to prove his fitness, following the calf strain he suffered on the eve of the season-opener against Collingwood last week.

"It's coming along nicely, I think," Hodge said. "The coaches have already ruled me out but I'll see what happens later in the week."

"It's improved a hell of a lot over the last two days but we still have a while to go."

It is the second season on the trot that the 27-year-old has experienced a new sort of leg injury. In 2011 it was his Achilles, and this time the calf, which he strained while pushing off for a handball while training last Thursday.

And for the four days since, he has endured the "old man" taunts around the football club, with calf injuries often the domain of players in the twilight of their careers.

"I'm sick of people calling me an old man. After last year, the Achilles is the first stage and then the calf goes. Not sure how much footy I have left in me," he said with a laugh.

But there will be no chances taken with the injury, despite the huge temptation to play against the Cats and help end a seven-match losing skid against the 2011 premiers.

"I'd prefer to miss one more than to play this weekend and then perhaps miss four or five," Hodge said.

Hodge added that the key to beating the Cats was to repeat the four-quarter performance that was a feature of the 22-point win over the Magpies last Friday.

"In the past we have played well for two-and-a-half or three quarters, but against a great side like Geelong it has to be four quarters," he said.

"We need to make a good start and if we do it should hold us in good stead."

You can follow AFL Media senior writer Ashley Browne on Twitter @afl_hashbrowne