COULD LUKE HODGE MAKE GFL CAMEO?
Hope for Simpkins, now for Hodge
COLAC could make a bold bid to lure retired AFL great Luke Hodge back home as it prepares to sign homegrown heroes Jonathan and Tom Simpkin.
Tigers coach Kane Leersen revealed the club had Hodge on its radar — even in a limited capacity — to bolster the side that bowed out in the GFL preliminary final.
The Simpkin siblings are on the verge of returning to their junior club, having spent the 2017 season at Eastern Football League club Balwyn.
Jonathan played 41 games at Geelong, Hawthorn and Essendon, while Tom notched 31 games for St Kilda.
“That’s something we’re working through at the moment and it’s got to fit in with them, but they fit the bill,” Leersen said.
“They’re Colac boys and one-pointers and exceptional footballers to boot, so they are two guys we’d love to get on board and hopefully we can get something sorted in the next few weeks.
“There’s a strong chance they will play but it’s like anything, until they sign the dotted line . . . we’ll do everything in our power to make it happen.”
Hodge will be the target of the club’s recruiters, although Leersen believes it’s a long shot to lure the Tigers’ under-18 premiership player home.
“As a club we will definitely ask the question, but he’s got a lot going on in his life,” he said.
“It all depends what he wants to get out of football. He’s given a lot to the game and he’s got a lot back.
“It would be a dream come true for the whole community if he did come back, but it’s more likely that it won’t happen.”
Leersen said the off-season was all “about list retention”.
“It was really positive to have both the seniors and reserves play in prelim finals and we expect a lot of development from these guys if they can put in another big pre-season,” Leersen said.
“Externally, we’ll see what’s available but we’ll be fairly specific. Realistically we want Colac boys — one pointers — and players that want to be part of something that the community is proud of.
“At the end of the day it is not feasible to go in a price war with Geelong clubs because people don’t want to drive twice as far for half the money.
“We have to be selective, but we’re very comfortable with the talent coming through.
“We’ve got a handful of guys who just finished up at the Geelong Falcons and if they don’t get drafted we’ll have an environment that they want to be part of.”
Cooper Stephens, Adam Garner, Ethan Floyd, Frazer O’Gorman and Jarrod Walters were part of the Falcons’ TAC Cup premiership on Sunday and could filter into the Tigers’ senior ranks.
“They could all be a chance and winning a premiership will open up opportunities, so we’ll just wait and see,” he said.
“And we’ve had some really good juniors who finished up in the under-18s this year, too.”
Leersen said recruiters would target big-bodied midfielders to support co-captain Ryan Monaghan.
“I think we’ve got the potential within the club, but it’s going to take a couple of preseasons and a bit of commit- ment to step up that extra 5 or 10 per cent which is required to play in a grand final and win it.”
Leersen is confident of retaining a majority of the senior list, with star ruckman Lachie Veale likely to play on.
“We’ve only got three guys on our list who are over the age of 27, Veale, (Jake) McGuane and (Travis) Woodmason,” he said.
“They’re all good to go, it’s just a matter of letting the dust settle but it’s important to have experience.
“We had 13 guys play in the seniors this year that played in the reserves preliminary final, so we’re trying to develop them and bring them along together.”