{"id":89805,"date":"2026-09-07T04:30:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T04:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/89805\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T04:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T04:30:20","slug":"cooper-hodge-son-of-luke-hodge-chooses-hawthorn-over-brisbane-ahead-of-afl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/89805\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooper Hodge, son of Luke Hodge, chooses Hawthorn over Brisbane ahead of AFL draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

AFL draft<\/a> prospect Cooper Hodge has chosen to nominate Hawthorn<\/a> under the father-son rule rather than Brisbane<\/a> as a Lions Academy selection. <\/p>\n

The son of four-time premiership champion Luke Hodge had the option to go either way but has settled on the Hawks, two months out from the national draft. <\/p>\n

Cooper was just 10 when the Hodge family moved to Queensland in 2018, with Luke joining the Lions after 305 games at Hawthorn. <\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

That meant he played effectively all of his junior footy in Queensland and came up through the Lions Academy from a young age. <\/p>\n

But Hawthorn will have first access to him on draft night, where he is expected to be picked up with a late selection. <\/p>\n

The Hawks will likely match a bid for the 18-year-old, provided it doesn\u2019t come too early, as most expect. <\/p>\n

Hawthorn released a statement on Monday welcoming the decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cCooper Hodge, the son of former Hawks premiership captain Luke, has nominated Hawthorn as his preferred destination ahead of this year\u2019s AFL draft,\u201d the club wrote. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe 18-year-old is eligible to join Hawthorn as a father-son selection following Luke\u2019s 305-game career with the brown and gold.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHodge is no stranger to the Hawks, having spent the past two pre-seasons at Waverley Park and the Kennedy Community Centre training with the AFL side as part of the club\u2019s father-son program.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased in Queensland, Hodge has been part of Brisbane Lions Academy during his development, which included playing eight games for the Lions as an underage prospect in the VFL.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CooperCooper Hodge has chosen Hawthorn over Brisbane. Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n

Luke played 41 games for the Lions in his final two seasons and was credited with fast-tracking the development and leadership qualities of the genesis of the Brisbane team which has gone on to become a two-time premiership powerhouse. <\/p>\n

He had initially retired after his last game for Hawthorn in 2017 but was talked into playing by Lions coach Chris Fagan, who was Alastair Clarkson\u2019s right-hand man during the Hawks\u2019 premiership era in the mid-2010s, which Hodge captained.<\/p>\n

Cooper had a strong national championships for the Allies and was pivotal in their only win of the carnival in the last round against Western Australia with 20 disposals. <\/p>\n

He has had VFL experience with the Lions across the past two years and has looked comfortable at the level. <\/p>\n

The youngster is an inside midfielder with a classy step and a willingness to tackle, but has some development to go before he can step into an AFL engine room.<\/p>\n

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