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The Australian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Australian
AFL 2025: Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell on Cooper Hodge
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell doesn't want to add to any pressure already facing former teammate Luke Hodge's teenage son Cooper but labelled him a 'nice talent' after seeing him train at Waverley earlier this week. Cooper Hodge, 16, spent time at the club his famous father led to three premierships before heading back to Brisbane, where he lives, having caught the eyes of plenty with a big decision looming. The teenager is an obvious father-son candidate for Hawthorn, but also is in the Brisbane academy and should he decided to enter next year's draft would have to decide which club to align himself to. Mitchell liked what he saw from Cooper, who is playing senior football in Queensland this weekend, buit refrained from entering any discussion about a possible AFL future. 'He's getting a game in the seniors at the moment, so he had to go back up to Brissy to make sure he holds his spot, they've got training tonight,' he said. 'He was with us for a few days, which was great. We've got Mark Williams' young lad out here today. Cooper Hodge plays for the Brisbane Lions Academy during the AFL National Championships. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images) 'It's great when we can see some of our father sons come down and have a run around with the boys. 'I think the thing with a guy like Coop is he's still a young man and because of his dad's fame and accolades there's a lot more pressure on him. 'The last thing I want to do is add anything to that. He was great, he is a really energetic kid, (but) he's quiet, respectful and goes about his business. 'He wants to learn, he's going to be a nice talent.' Mitchell's focus however is on the present with their campaign to finish in the top-four facing a stern test against Fremantle on Saturday in Perth. The Hawks are having to plough on without Josh Weddle who was storming away to a top finish in the Hawks' best and fairest count before going down with a stress fracture in his back. His timeline on Hawthorn's injury list remains 'to be confirmed' and he could very well miss the remainder of the 2025 season. But Mitchell says the improved and versatile Weddle is using the stint on the sidelines as a chance to advance his game and is confident he will return a better player as a result. 'At the four-week mark he'll get a scan and then you'll either rule him out for the season or say, 'We're a chance here, let's see what we can do',' he said. Hawthorn star Josh Weddle could come back from injury a better player, according to coach Sam Mitchell. Picture:'It's very easy to focus on who's not there … if you're going to lose Josh Weddle to bring in James Sicily, we'll take that and not worry too much about it. 'Any good learning for Wedds, he sat in the coaches' box and he's looking at vision – he'll be a better player when he comes back. 'Hopefully, it's this year, if not, when he comes back he'll have a greater game understanding than when he left.' Tyler Lewis Sports reporter Tyler Lewis is a sports reporter based in Melbourne's south east. @tmlew_ Tyler Lewis
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former teammate's gesture comes to light amid family dilemma for Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge has revealed son Cooper stayed at the home of former Hawthorn teammate Jarryd Roughead when he was invited to train with the club this week. Hodge is a Hawthorn legend, playing 305 games for the Hawks and winning four premierships with the club he captained. He now lives in Brisbane with his family after finishing his career with two years at the Lions. His 16-year-old son Cooper is part of the Brisbane Lions academy, but under AFL rules he can join the Hawks under the father-son rule. The Lions would get first dibs if he nominates as a Next Generation Academy (NGA) prospect, but he also has the option of choosing the Hawks. It means he'll face a tricky decision between Brisbane and Hawthorn if he nominates for next year's draft like expected. This week he was invited to join Hawthorn training at the club's Waverley Park headquarters, with Channel 7 cameras capturing the teenager having a kick and getting some tips from players. Speaking on 'The Agenda Setters' on Channel 7 on Tuesday night, Hodge revealed his former teammate Roughead - now the list manager at Hawthorn - took Cooper into his home for the week. The Hodge family is based in Brisbane, while Luke's brother lives down in Geelong - a 90-minute drive from Waverley Park. 'It's a former teammate and a mate who's known Coop his whole life,' Luke said. 'He stayed at his house, but that's not surprising considering we don't have any family in Melbourne. My brother's down in Geelong, so the easiest thing was just to get him to stay at Roughy's.' Hodge said of Cooper's experience: 'It was a good day once again going down there to really convince a young guy to come. They turned on the weather. It was about four degrees down there. I couldn't feel my hands. It was another good experience. He went out there and enjoyed the club.' When pressed by Kane Cornes as to whether Cooper is leaning towards Hawthorn or Brisbane, Luke played a straight bat. 'He's about 50-50,' Hodge said. 'No, listen, it's a good experience for him. He's a 16-year-old kid who gets the opportunity to go down and spend two days. 'I 100 per cent understand (the level of interest in this), but the only thing is he's a 16-year-old kid who has the flexibility, and he's been lucky enough to spend two days at Hawthorn. But then on the flip side, with the Brisbane Lions academy, he's been lucky enough over the last two years to be able to enjoy and spend time with some of the players and get coached by Grant Brichall and Mitch Hahn and these kind of guys. So he's been very fortunate and he's really loving football at the moment.' "It was a good day ... he (Cooper) went out there and enjoyed the club."Spotted at Hawthorn training: Cooper Hodge 👀 — 7AFL (@7AFL) July 8, 2025 RELATED: AFL world reacts as axing sparks sad 27-year first for Cornes family Family of AFL and Sydney Swans legend set to sell Brownlow Medal Speaking back in May, Hodge revealed both Hawthorn and Brisbane have told him they simply want the best for Cooper and don't mind which way he decides. "We've had the same from both Brisbane and Hawthorn, that they just want to see him develop and achieve his goal," Hodge said. 'There's no way he would have developed as he has in the last 12 months if it wasn't for the Lions academy. But then on the flip side, Hawthorn have also been great. They've had him down to the club a number of times.'
News.com.au
09-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Image shows battle for AFL legend's son has taken a twist
Hawthorn champ Luke Hodge has been put on the spot as images showed a big twist in the battle for his son Cooper. The former Hawks captain was on Tuesday night asked to explain vision of his 16-year-old son training with Hawthorn players at the club's Waverley Park headquarters. It was the second day Cooper had spent on the field with the club this week. There has been plenty of intrigue surrounding the behind-the-scenes tug of war for the talented teenager with both the Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn having priority access to select him in the 2026 AFL Draft. Veteran football reporter Caroline Wilson in May said the Hawks would be devastated if they missed out on the Year 11 student when he is eventually able to nominate for the draft. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Cooper is able to nominate as a potential father-son selection because of is dad's distinguished career in the gold and brown. He also has links with the Brisbane Lions as a product of the Queensland club's junior academy. The family also lives in Brisbane. Hodge finished his career with two final seasons at the Lions before his retirement in 2019. Hodge played his cards close to his chest on Tuesday night when telling Channel 7's Agenda Setters it was '50-50' between the two clubs. 'Yeah, well, they got him down. CJ's brother was out there as well. I think Mark Williams' son was supposed to be out there as well, but he rolled his ankle,' Hodge said of his son spending time inside Hawthorn's headquarters. 'It was a good day once again going down there to really convince a young guy to come. They turned on the weather. It was about four degrees down there. I couldn't feel my hands. 'It was another good experience. He went out there and enjoyed the club.' It was explained by Channel 7 that Cooper also stayed with his dad's former teammate Jarryd Roughead during his Melbourne visit. Roughead has transitioned to a recruitment role with the Hawks and would be a key asset in getting Cooper to choose the Victorian club. 'It's a former teammate and a mate who's known Coop his whole life,' Luke said. 'He stayed at his house, but that's not surprising considering we don't have any family in Melbourne. My brother's down in Geelong, so the easiest thing was just to get him to stay at Roughy's.' He went on to say: 'I 100 per cent understand (the level of interest in this), but the only thing is he's a 16-year-old kid who has the flexibility or he's been lucky enough to spend two days at Hawthorn. 'But then on the flip side, with the Brisbane Lions academy, he's been lucky enough over the last two years to be able to enjoy and spend time with some of the players and get coached by Grant Brichall and Mitch Hahn and these kind of guys. 'So he's been very fortunate and he's really loving football at the moment.' Cooper's situation is similar to Sydney's Nick Blakey, who was eligible to head to North Melbourne because of his dad John's career with the blue and white. Blakey was also an assistant coach with the Swans at the time. It has been a big year for Luke Hodge. He was in June inducted into the Hall of Fame in recognition of his four premierships and two Norm Smith Medals with the Hawks. Hodge captained Hawthorn to the 2008 premiership and was a key member of the club's three-peat of premierships in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Devastated': Frenzy over AFL legend's son comes to the surface
Luke Hodge has been grilled as intrigue continues to swirl surrounding the future of 16-year-old son Cooper. The Hawthorn premiership-winning captain was put on the spot on Tuesday night by the Channel 7 Agenda Setters panel when asked to indicate which football club his rising star son would like to play for. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The situation has bubbled behind the scenes over the past two years with Cooper's talent seeing him branded a future AFL player at the age of 15. The Year 11 student is only eligible to register for the 2026 AFL Draft. The drama came to the surface on Tuesday night when the 40-year-old Hawks champ was asked about his son's links with Hawthorn as a possible father-son draft selection — and his son's links with the Brisbane Lions as a product of the Queensland club's junior academy. Hodge finished his distinguished career with two final seasons at the Lions before his retirement in 2019. He moved into a leadership role at the club after hanging up his boots. However, he will always be best remembered for the four premierships he won with the Hawks. It's why Cooper's future has captured so much attention — despite the 2026 Draft still more than 15 months away. Veteran AFL reporter Caroline Wilson on Tuesday told Hodge the Hawks would potentially be 'devastated' if Cooper registered for the Draft categorised as a Next Generation Academy (NGA) prospect — something that would give the Lions first rights to select Cooper. You can watch the exchange in the video player above. NGA selections and father-son prospects have been widely criticised across the competition in recent years with suggestions from some AFL greats that the national draft has become compromised. With all that swirling in the background, Hodge on Tuesday night insisted the family is not feeling any pressure to make a decision. When asked for his 'gut feel', Hodge responded: 'I couldn't tell you. He's still 13-15 months away'. Wilson said she would 'wager' that the Hawks would be 'devastated' if Cooper chose Brisbane ahead of the 2026 draft, but Hodge disagreed. 'That's not what they've told us,' he said. 'So they have said, and we've had the same from both Brisbane and Hawthorn, that they just want to see him develop and achieve his goal.' He went on to say: 'There's no way he would have developed as he has in the last 12 months if it wasn't for the Lions academy. 'But then on the flip side, Hawthorn have also been great. They've had him down to the club a number of times.' Agenda Setters co-host Kane Cornes seemed staggered that Hodge believed there was no pressure coming from either club. Cooper has continued to attract attention this year with his performances for the Brisbane Lions Academy in the Coates Talent League. A talent scout earlier this month told Fox Footy Hodge's options to nominate for both clubs was 'not a bad choice to have, considering where both teams are at right now.' Cooper has been on a trajectory to play elite football ever since he was named in the under-15 All-Australian team. Hodge has repeatedly been asked about the drama, but has done his best to avoid questions about it. 'My response to all that is, 'He's a 15-year-old kid'. He's 15, he just wants to play football, he likes football, so much can happen in three years,' he told SEN in 2023. 'So much can happen in three years. He's developed in 12 months.'
