Force fired up for Hodgson's milestone
Force fired up for Hodgson's milestone
By Justin Chadwick, AAP April 1, 2010, 3:36 pm
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Western Force coach John Mitchell hopes his players use flanker Matt Hodgson's 50-game milestone as motivation for Friday night's Super 14 clash with the second-placed Stormers in Perth.
Hodgson has been a standout for the winless Force this season.
The 28-year-old's tireless efforts at the breakdown and around the ground have ensured the back row remained competitive despite the lengthy losses of Wallabies Richard Brown (shoulder) and David Pocock (finger).
Mitchell said Hodgson, who joined the Force in 2006 and was named player of the year last season, deserved to celebrate his 50th game with a win.
"This weekend's pretty exciting really for Matt Hodgson ... he's been a Trojan for this club," Mitchell said on Thursday.
"It would be nice for the boys to be highly energetic and motivated for that.
"I guess he typifies being a Western Force man.
"He's as hard as nails and totally committed, and doesn't ask for anything less from his mates.
"His ability to play all three positions (in the back row) whenever required is a huge asset to us, as is his skill set."
Pocock's return to the run-on side will ease the workload on Hodgson, while Brown will add much needed firepower off the bench.
The Stormers have conceded just 59 points in six games this season and possess one of the competition's most exciting players in the form of South African winger Bryan Habana.
"The Stormers are second on the log, got the best defence in the comp and probably got more X-factor than the Bulls (who beat the Force 28-15 last round)," Mitchell said.
"So I clearly see them as a tougher proposition than last week."
Mitchell said he had been disappointed with his team's first-phase attack in recent weeks.
He hoped his backline shuffle, which sees James O'Connor shift to fullback, Ryan Cross to inside centre, Mitch Inman to outside centre and Mark Bartholomeusz to the wing, would give the Force more momentum.
Mitchell has also named Pek Cowan, who began the season as the side's starting hooker, in his more preferred position at prop.
"I think we owe it to him," Mitchell said.
"He is a specialist loosehead and he did get selected to the Wallabies last year as a result of that.
"We also want to give Nic (Henderson) a chance to recondition so we've got two looseheads who can go on the tour to NZ and South Africa with really good match conditioning."
Mitchell said utility back Cameron Shepherd, who injured his quad during the warm-up in round one, was on track to return to club rugby next week.
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