They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
But Harris Andrews says a screen shot of Luke Hodge’s nonchalant reaction to Cameron Rayner poleaxing an opponent that has emerged on social media this week doesn’t quite sum up the veteran’s influence on the finals-bound Brisbane Lions.
Andrews says Brisbane will rely heavily on former three-time Hawthorn premiership-winning captain Hodge as they try to keep a lid on expectation ahead of their first AFL finals campaign in 10 years.
And it’s no surprise after seeing the classic shot of Hodge’s reaction to Rayner’s heavy tackle on Jason Johannisen from last round’s tight win over Western Bulldogs tweeted by fan “Roy Boys”.
Wide-eyed Lions midfielder Jarrod Berry’s jaw literally drops as he witnesses Rayner’s crunching hit on Johannisen while sitting on the bench just metres away.
Sitting alongside Berry, old stager Hodge looks unmoved with a “been there, done that” expression.
Andrews said he had seen the screen shot and reckoned it summed up Lions veteran Hodge perfectly.
“He’s a cool cat in that regard. He doesn’t get too flustered by much,” Andrews laughed.
“It was a good hit by Cam. You could see Jarrod was carrying on but there was wise old Hodge looking like ‘I have done this a few times’.”
Yet Andrews reckons it doesn’t quite do justice to Hodge’s influence on the young Lions squad as they try to negotiate their way around the hype of their first finals campaign since 2009.
Andrews said Hodge – a four-time flag winner with the Hawks – had been crucial to keeping them on an even keel, ensuring complacency wouldn’t be an issue in Saturday’s AFL clash with lowly Gold Coast.
“I haven’t been in a situation where I am playing games this late in the season that potentially influence the ladder,” Andrews said.
“It’s new ground for a lot of us guys.
“But to have someone like Hodgey there who has been at a really successful club is a real sounding board.
“He’s pretty quick when you start to get ahead of yourself to really pull you back into line.
“To take little things away from those sort of guys it is very important – I have certainly been picking his brain.”