SPENDING an afternoon running with Adam Goodes after three weeks off injured is a tough challenge for any footballer.

Luke Hodge is one player who relishes any challenge, no matter the degree of difficulty but acknowledges his work was cut out for him on Sunday.

Hodge spent much of the game on the dual Brownlow medallist and held his own despite Goodes narrowly winning the contest. But Hodge kept pushing himself, to the point that his weary legs were cramping so badly towards the end of the game he had to move forward for the good of the team.

“When the big fella gets running, good luck catching him. So you’ve just got to try and cut him off where you can and if you can get balls in the non-dangerous spot it is going to help us. He got off the leash a fair bit today.” Hodge said.

“I was cramping in both calves and I couldn’t go with him when I had fresh legs. When I kept cramping I had no chance with him.”

Hodge was a surprise starter in the Hawthorn win over the Sydney Swans but said he felt right to play after he recovered better than expected in the week leading up to the game.

“I was doing a bit of running and seeing how it felt with a bit of work through it. It got to Monday and I wasn’t sure if I was going to play or not. I got through the Thursday session and thought I’d done enough to play,” he said.

The Hawthorn backline has been decimated by injury over the first half of 2009 but the return of the Norm Smith medallist brought back some stability and hardness not seen since last year’s grand final. Not that he is overstating his importance.

“We were 8-0 last year so it’s a lot different. We’re more focussed on who is on the paddock and who can play. If we can keep getting people back it is going to be a bonus for us but as long as the blokes on the park at the moment do their job we’ll be happy with that,” Hodge said.

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said Hodge’s return was a huge boost for the defence.

“He is a very influential player and provides great direction for our defence and our midfield. He was pretty influential today,” Clarkson said.

“A couple of those catches he took in the crunch time of the game in the last quarter were super tough hard competitive footy and we know we are a much better side when he is in it.”