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Perth Now - February 21, 2016 - Dale Granger
At the ripe age of 34 Western Force skipper Matt Hodgson refuses to contemplate retirement or even discuss whether he might go on to emulate All Black Brad Thorn and Springbok Victor Matfield’s longevity as top flight professional rugby players.
In 2014 Thorn, at age 39, finally hung up his boots after 15 seasons as a surviving gladiator in NRL, State of Origin, All Black and Super Rugby guises. Matfield, aged 38, is in the twilight of his career plying his trade with the Northampton Saints in England.
Hodgson, gearing up for an 11th straight Super Rugby campaign, has set his sights on achieving his goals for the Force before he thinks about life after rugby.
“The main thing is that I am still enjoying it, even though I’ve been through some tough times with injury. But every time I’ve travelled I’ve enjoyed going out there and giving my all. A new lease on life with the captaincy added a few years to my career. It gave me more excitement and I enjoy seeing other people thrive. So that responsibility has helped keep me going,” the No. 7 said.
“I don’t want to finish up or leave until (we have) a sense of accomplishment and I think we are pushing towards that in our rugby right now,” he said
Where Hodgson differs from Thorn and Matfield is that he has spent his entire career with one club and is joined by senior statesman Pek Cowan as two surviving Force foundation members dating back to the 2006 season.
“It’s not common,” said Hodgson, who was unable to name one single other Super Rugby player (apart from Cowan) who had matched his service to one club.
“A lot of people change clubs within Australia but also go overseas. I just enjoyed putting my roots down in Perth, a great place to raise a family, starting here in 2006,” Hodgson said of the journey.
Hodgson’s task as openside flanker is to throw his body into situations where angels might fear to tread among flying boots and bodies to secure valuable turnover ball at the tackle. He has never shirked this responsibility, delivering performances in the heat of trench warfare that suggest his blood is blue and doesn’t stand out on a Force jumper.
Comparing this year’s Force squad with previous vintages, he said: “The team has even greater depth than in the past. Foles (coach Michael Foley) probably has 28 players he could pick for our first-round team. We’ve got depth in every position compared to previously, where you could always pick out who was going to start, who was going to sit on the bench and who was going to miss out.
“Now we do not know who is going to start at 10, who is going to start at hooker. The front-row has got depth and every single position has got someone behind them that can put their hand up.
“There is also a good mix of local talent. People used to ask me how many people were from Perth and you would say four or five, but this year I can’t tell you because there is that many in the squad and in and around training with us. So we are really involving the Perth people and for the blokes who have come in from over east or overseas, Perth is home for them now.”
Before the first ball is kicked in anger, Hodgson believes an expanded Super Rugby competition introducing the Sunwolves from Japan and the Jaguares from Argentina could feature the tightest ever scramble for the playoffs.
“I don’t think there is one team that stands out at the moment as favourites. Every team will have to play well on the day and with the bonus points juggled around (teams now only get a bonus point for scoring four tries if the try difference is greater than three) there will be a few teams now having to defend for the full 80 minutes. So I think it’s just whoever deals with all the unknowns the best,” he said.
Western Force captain Matt Hodgson with wife Jo and their children Buddy (1) and Hunter (3). Picture: Marie Nirme
“There is the added travel, you need a good squad and a lot of top sides have lost a lot of key players (to post World Cup retirement and overseas clubs). We are probably lucky in that regard and have probably just added strength to our team. We have not, apart from Sam (Wykes) lost any of our the mainstayers from our squad. There is a good balance now and off field we’ve been working well with a lot of mental preparation, goal setting and an action plan to deal with things that come up so we can go and focus on rugby on game day.”
Among this sea of change, the Force are also adapting to an exciting new, expansive style of play, subscribing to speed and go forward momentum for success. “We’ve really focused on the ball carrier punching through the line and what he does on the floor to enable (swift recycling),” Hodgson said.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rug...b17-1456031540
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