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NATHAN SHARPE, The West Australian March 31, 2010, 8:27 am
One of the stalwarts of the Emirates Western Force, Matt Hodgson, plays his 50th Super 14 game for the club on Friday.
Hodgo has been one of the most consistent performers for the Force since our inception and is having another terrific season.
He is one of the quiet achievers and gets results by working his butt off. He sets a fantastic example and is without doubt one of the best back-rowers in the competition.
Not only does he work hard in his physical application, he has a brilliant football brain, tremendous skills and an unmatched resilience to keep going hard.
His head resembles a battered sav, evidence of his fearless approach to the game. To give you some idea of his commitment, Hodgo is by far the shortest player in the forward pack, but he has learnt to jump and read line-outs so well over the past five years that he is now a critical part of our line-out.
We saw more of the next generation of Western Force players with Mark Swanepoel and Ted Postal making their debuts last weekend.
Hooker Ben Whittaker had his first run-on start and it was a huge test straight up. Up against Victor Matfield in the line-outs is a challenging task for the most experienced hookers and Whits stepped up to the plate.
The taste of victory was on the tips of our tongues against the Bulls but the culinary treat has had to again wait another week and I can tell you the boys are hungry.
A win is definitely on the menu and our performance against the Bulls proved we're capable of achieving that feat against the best in the competition.
Leading 12-10 at half-time against the top team was great encouragement and for 60 minutes or so we were the better team.
An effort from start to finish is our focus and that will be the minimum required against the Stormers on Friday night.
Some good news for us this week will be the return of some experience including the talents of David Pocock who has been out of action since round one. I'm hoping Poey has had sufficient rest while mending his broken fingernail . . . I mean finger.
It has been a week since coach John Mitchell's announcement that he won't seek to extend his contract past the 2011 season.
It created a bit of a buzz for many outside the team but internally the boys were very focused on the upcoming games and it has had little bearing on our preparation.
While the announcement came as a surprise in terms of timing, it provides clarity for the club moving forward and both the Force and Mitch have the opportunity to plan for the future. That is a positive for all concerned.
The Good Friday match against the Stormers is family day for Force supporters, a day both my little fellas, Cooper and Franklin, look forward to with face painting and entertainment on and off the field.
Last year at the family day game against the Hurricanes, we lost a nail-biter, but I can still remember Cooper running into the change room without a care in the world, his face painted blue, after having soaked up the atmosphere.
It really put life and sport into perspective for me after such a disappointing result.
Kick-off is at a very family friendly 6pm and I hope to see all of our supporters in their blue - young and old alike.
"12 Years aSupporter" starring the #SeaOfBlue
Lets make sure we all give Hodgo a great cheerwhen he runs on Friday night.
He deserves it every week the way he has been playing of late.
May the FORCE be with you!