Luke Hodge’s guide to sledging: Hawks champion explains which players he would target for mind games – and why he never bothered to have a crack at Chris Judd
- Four-time champ reveals why he targeted some players – and left others alone
- Getting opponents to second-guess themselves is one of the keys to niggling
- Says concentrating on players like Chris Judd and Jonathan Brown was a waste
Four-time flag-winning Hawk Luke Hodge has revealed how he decided which players he would sledge – and why Blues champion Chris Judd was exempt from his verbal sprays.
Last week, Matthew Lloyd and David King slammed Essendon players for allowing Sydney star Luke Parker to openly taunt Dylan Shiel without copping any retribution.
The Swans gun repeatedly shrugged his shoulders and winced after Shiel appeared to pull out of a contest, but Hodge suggested there was nothing wrong with Parker’s behaviour.
‘You say it to people you think you can get under their skin or are going to hesitate,’ the Hawthorn legend said on SEN radio’s Whateley on Sunday.
Hodge has no problem with Luke Parker’s controversial sledging of Dylan Shiel and says the art of niggling opponents is all about how you pick your targets
Think an opponent will second-guess themselves on the next play if you give them a gobful? They’re the ones you go after, according to Hodge
‘The people you do it to are the people you think are going to hesitate next time and second-guess themselves and then when they’re over the ball next time they’ll fumble because they’re second-guessing themselves and are looking up to see what’s going to happen – this is where it is part of those mind games.
‘If someone shirked the issue and if someone was selfish in front of goal, of course, you’d go and speak to them, especially if you knew they’d be affected by it the next time they go near the football.’
‘There are certain people out there that you know you can either physically intimidate them, verbally intimidate them or just make them second-guess that next play, they’re the ones you go after.
‘There are certain people in opposition teams where you thought if I got my opportunity, I’d mention it.’
On the other hand, some footballers are so mentally and physically strong that Hodge wouldn’t bother trying to get under their skin – and a certain Carlton and West Coast champion is among them.’
Some players are so mentally and physically strong that trying to put them off their game is a waste of time, Hodge warns – and Chris Judd is a case in point
‘If you look at someone like Chris Judd, if I was back there on the ground, I wouldn’t bother wasting my time talking to him because I know it’s water off a duck’s back,’ Hodge explained.
‘If I was playing against Jonathan Brown and he ducked his head, I’m not going to go to Jonathan Brown and say, “You’re soft, you’re weak, you took short steps”, because I know next time he goes to that ball what will happen.’