With 312 games under his belt, one would think that it would take an earthquake to shake Luke Hodge's nerves before a game these days.
But for Hodge, this weekend will be a new first when he takes on his old side for the first time.
Before the big match this Sunday, Hodge joined the Roar Deal podcast, telling hosts Dom Fay and Michael Whiting that the game has been pencilled in on his calendar since the fixture was released.
"It's come around fast," Hodge said.
"Something I haven't been used to has been travelling with the team (interstate) every second week... so Round 9 has really come around fast."
After playing for Hawthorn for 16 years, Hodge says the weekend's game will be something similar to the sibling rivalry of 'playing against a brother.'
"Yes, you know them. Yes, you love them, but you try so much harder against them because you don't want them to get the bragging rights."
It's been half a year since Hodge made the move to Brisbane, but he seems to have fitted right into the playing group.
"I've gotten to know Allen Christensen very well," Hodge said.
"Alex Witherden and Cam Rayner are always good to crack a gag with too."
"The vibe around the Club, I'm really enjoying it."
At 33 years of age, Hodge is by far the oldest amongst a relatively young Lions list.
Hodge shared that he often finds himself taken aback when remembering the age of his fellow teammates considering their roles within the team.
"I was talking to Hippy (Eric Hipwood) the other day and I said, 'So, how old are you: 22 or 23?'
He replied, 'No, I'm 20.'
Hodge was quick to admit that at Hipwood's age he was not nearly the skilled player that he is known as today.
"When I was 20 years old, I was making far more mistakes than most of the boys we have now," Hodge said.
Away from footy, Hodge had plenty to say about his new teammates' inability to handle cold weather.
Last weekend the team travelled south to take on the Bulldogs and were hit by Melbourne's blizzard-like cold front.
In
"I've never heard so many boys complain about the weather," Hodge said.
Meanwhile, in Brisbane, the weather has been nothing but blue skies, much to the delight of Hodge.
"I walked outside the other day and there was a lady wearing a beanie and gloves and I thought 'What are you doing?!'
Lions Academy and NEAFL Manager Luke Curran also joined the Roar Deal podcast for the first time this week.
“This year I’ve taken on the responsibility of overseeing the NEAFL program, which is a natural extension of what we do with the Academy,” Curran said.
“We have a group of 19 years old in the Academy, but they spend most of their time training and playing with the NEAFL team.
“It’s good to have that connection with the Academy and NEAFL from a staffing and playing point of view.”
Curran has been looking after the Academy for nearly a decade now and has seen plenty of talent come through the program, including the most exciting prospects in rugby league at the moment: Kalyn Ponga.
Ponga was a member of the Lions Academy before moving to Townsville to join the North Queensland Cowboys.
“He was having a kick with us one night a week,” Curran said.
“He gave him the option of being involved in our program whenever it suited.
“For him a lot of the time it was straight after school for 30-45 minutes having a kick with one of our staff.”
After finishing his contract at the Cowboys, Ponga was tossing up a move to AFL with the Lions or switching to the Newcastle Knights.
“I think it came down to a substantially bigger offer from the Knights which swayed him,” Curran said.
“There was genuine interest from him and his family. He really enjoyed AFL as a game and it would have been a new challenge for him.”
Curran also discussed AFL in schools in Queensland, the talent pool and what he expects from this year’s draft.
