The fans and judges had no trouble selecting her long-range Round 9 stunner as the season’s best goal ahead of Collingwood ace Chloe Molloy and Jessica Fitzgerald from the Western Bulldogs.
Perhaps the biggest difficulty was splitting the electric-heeled 21-year-old’s effort against the Demons from her other GOTY nomination just a week prior when she had the Gabba crowd on their feet with a stunning effort against the Kangaroos in the Club’s first-ever AFLW game at the venue.
While that major against the rules was a superb example of a textbook crumbers’ goal, the one against the Demons showcased a range of skills, her blistering pace and determination to keep running.
The passage began about 80m from goal when Lions team-mate Jesse Wardlaw soccered the ball forward towards the attacking 50m arc.
Hodder immediately took off after the ball in a footrace race against a Demon opponent. Then, as the ball neared the 50m line, another Demon came flying in from the other direction pitching the Lion into a two-on-one contest.
The three converged right on the arc but it was Hodder who emerged with the footy, after employing a move that would not have looked out of place on a Gaelic footy field.
Without breaking stride, she flicked the ball in the air with her foot, gathered it cleanly and after a few steps to steady, sent it sailing through the big sticks from 40m out.
The effort earns her $5000 and guarantees permanent entry into any AFLW highlights reel.
