24HR THREAD! Should 2014 be Hodges' last year?

[Morkel]

We're trying something new here. For the first time ever, we're hosting a
BHQ 24HR DEBATE
It's just like a normal thread, except we're warning you ahead of time, so that you can form your opinion, and we're capping it to one single day to keep it sharp & snappy. If it's successful, we'll try more in the future. If not, we'll borrow a line from Parker and put it back in the kit bag.

This Saturday the 16th of August, we're asking:

With the Broncos' depth in the backs looking healthy for the future, with Hodges' niggling injuries reducing his time on the field, do we dare ponder the unthinkable? Should Justin call it a day, and with that, can the Broncos move forward without him? Have your say from 12:00am Saturday. Assuming one of us remembers to unlock the thread.​

 

[Morkel]

 

[Morkel]

NOTE: This thread will be opening shortly. Just a reminder that while we expect the debate to be quite intense, all normal forum rules shall apply. Those found to be deliberately derailing the thread, pushing it off-topic, trolling, or pushing the levels of civil conversation will receive infractions and/or thread bans.

 

[Harry Sack]

Yes.

Quality 1st post. Sacky FTW

 

[Ari Gold]

Kudos on the debate idea but to be honest I think this topic is kind of stupid. Hodges isn't the player he once was but lots of players decline. He has been inconsistent this season but try not saying that to most of our team.

This is still a guy who plays at Origin level and he was very good in Origin 3. Just look at his pass to Vidot Thursday night to see how much quality he still has to offer. Perhaps not worth the same as he was a couple of years ago and probably in a bit of a decline stage but I really don't see how this is a good topic for debate. The decision to retire is really down to Hodges and only him and I really don't see how anyone could think that his current ability and contributions this year have been from a player who should retire because he is too shit these days. If you think it's because of injuries, again, that's something only really Justin can decide.

So yeah, I don't think this even comes close to a good debate topic. How anyone can say he should retire is beyond me.

 

[Nashy]

Slow
Injury Prone
Selfish and doesn't pass
Negative when players make a balls up
Not a captain
Copley is playing better

Retire

 

[Alec]

Not when his replacement is Reed.

 

[Harry Sack]

2014 should be his last rep year IMO. Last year for the Broncos though? Definitely not. He's still reasonably young and while he seems to be made out of glass these days I think avoiding the rep season would increase his longevity and alleviate some of his problems. I also can't wait to see how he goes next year when he, hopefully, won't feel like he has to do everything himself.

 

[Nashy]

2014 should be his last rep year IMO. Last year for the Broncos though? Definitely not. He's still reasonably young and while he seems to be made out of glass these days I think avoiding the rep season would increase his longevity and alleviate some of his problems. I also can't wait to see how he goes next year when he, hopefully, won't feel like he has to do everything himself.

It's going to be good to see how he goes with Bennett back. Wouldn't be surprised to see him leave the rep career behind

 

[Foordy]

I'm on the keep Hodges side of the argument. for the following reasons (in no particular order):

1. I doubt his contract would be massive, given his age and injury history

2. his experience is invaluable to the younger players in the side ... especially the young outside backs (like Copley)

3. having Hodges in the side, tends to draw defenders to him, leaving other players either open or having less defenders to worry about.

4. he is still a very dangerous center, one that can turn a game in our favor in an instant, from a piece of magic.

5. keeping him around for that extra year will allow us to spend that little bit extra time developing our depth in that position, until they are ready to take over from him.

one other thing i will say, is that he needs to take the off season and learn to trust his team mates more ... and not try to do everything himself. that in turn would, IMO, make him more dangerous with the ball in hand and also not halt our momentum with the wrong option as happens occasionally with him.

 

[Morkel]

Here's my two cents on the matter. I do think that 2014 should be Hodges' last season. It pains me to say it because I am one of his biggest fans. While Locky was the master puppeteer, controlling games seemingly at will, and Webcke was the rock upon which the team's foundations were built, there simply hasn't been a player that has been more enjoyable to watch for the Broncos in the last ten years. His ungainly stride, his ability to consistently beat the first and second defenders, the way he loped through the defensive line, it was something that no other player could pull off so often. Defences knew he was coming. At the games, and on the TV, you could hear the yelling of "Hodgo!" as he'd amble up to the ruck, dummy, and slice through - expecting it was one thing, but stopping it was another. He's won us more games single-handedly than some NRL players have even played. Having him on the field just gave you that sense that no matter who we were up against, no matter what the odds, there was always the chance of some Hodgo brilliance, as he'd grab the team kicking and screaming towards victory.

But sadly, 2014 has not been kind to him. In his last couple of years, in the absence of a genuine leader, someone to guide us with a cool head, Hodges has simply had too much weight on his shoulders. While his ability to steal a victory in recent times has been invaluable, it has got to the point where that last ditch, all-or-nothing mindset has become his default setting. With Copley really starting to shine in the centres, with Ben Hunt surprising almost everybody and becoming arguably the form half of the NRL, we no longer need to rely on his individual brilliance. In fact, there have been many times this year where patience, composure, and need to stick to a game plan has been what's required, only for Hodgo to jump in, try a high-risk play, and turn the ball over. Or lose the ball trying to milk a penalty. And worst of all, the trademark step, the signature run, has been a shadow of its former self. Obviously the mounting back & leg injuries have caught up with him, he simply does not have the same lope anymore. Someone posted earlier that we've actually go a far better win/loss ratio this year when Hodges doesn't play. That in itself is very telling.

Feeling optimistic for next year, with the return of Bennett, and the addition of Milford in particular, part of me would love to see Hodges go out in a blaze of glory. See him be rewarded for his wonderful service for the club with one last season of success, and watch him enjoy the maturation of so many players that he has undoubtedly influenced during his time here. Unfortunately, and again, it pains me to say it, I just don't think that he has enough left in the tank to be able to reach those heights anymore. For the sake of the team's future, stepping back might be the best way for him to do one last service for the Broncos.

 

[Morkel]

I got jumped!

 

[Foordy]

Slow
Injury Prone
Selfish and doesn't pass
Negative when players make a balls up
Not a captain
Copley is playing better

Retire

I don't get that impression from him ... he has thrown some absolutely cracking passes as seen in origin three and throughout the season.

that pass he threw to Vidot was brilliant ... pity the handling from Vidot wasn't

 

[Nashy]

I don't get that impression from him ... he has thrown some absolutely cracking passes as seen in origin three and throughout the season.

that pass he threw to Vidot was brilliant ... pity the handling from Vidot wasn't

Selfish isn't the correct word really. I think he loses all confidence in his outside players. One of the draw backs to playing next to Maranta I guess.

 

[Foordy]

Selfish isn't the correct word really. I think he loses all confidence in his outside players. One of the draw backs to playing next to Maranta I guess.

that i agree with ...

probably still hasn't gotten over all the times he handed Maranta a try on a silver platter last season , only to have Maranta find a way to bomb it

 

[Big Pete]

Justin Hodges is a Broncos legend and whenever he plays, he's usually one of the Broncos best on any given night and you know he's putting in.

However, I really wish he had have fallen on his sword, announced that this season would be his last and would allow the Broncos to develop the likes of Dale Copley, Josh Hoffman & Jordan Drew while looking for alternative options.

Reason being, it just seems like the Broncos play their best brand of football without him. They seem to gel more as a team, have more options instead of just working through their sets, waiting for the Hodgo play and working off the back of that. I almost feel like I'm watching the Brisbane Broncos with Justin Hodges when I play and the results this season back that up.

What was the stat that was posted? 6/8 without him? 4/13 with him in the team? That's pretty damning right there.

Ever since Lockyer retired, Broncos fans have been after changes and wondering what it would take to make the Broncos into the club they once were - making tough decisions like this was what this club was found on.

Any Queensland would tell you they loved Wally Lewis and everything he did for Queensland Rugby League, but when the club thought they'd be better off without him, they went ahead and got rid of him. Remind me how that panned out?

I'm not comparing Hodges to Lewis, what I'm saying is that the club is being too loyal to players who quite frankly aren't valuable and won't allow the team to become the premiership force they need to be.

So I believe despite of my own personal feelings and forgetting favorites that Hodges should step aside for the greater good of the club.

 

[Morkel]

There are two main problems IMO. The fact that he still feels like he has to do it all himself, and that he'll likely only play 10 - 12 games in Broncos colours. On the first point, maybe Bennett will sit him down and tell him to just do his job. But will he listen? He's a born winner, but judging by his numerous public dressing-downs of Maranta, you get the impression he simply does not trust those around him to do their jobs, and that is a very toxic thing to have in a team sport. As to his inability to stay fit, I look at a player like Copley and I think that his development will actually go backwards if he's forced to shuffle between left centre, right centre, right wing etc. Hodges certainly won't have a spine position next year, so when he plays it's #4 or nothing. So do we turn Copley in to a specialist left centre? And punt Reed? Then what happens when Hodgo in injured or away on rep duties? Throw Oates back to centre? Bring in Kahu? It just seems like a lot of sacrifice to accommodate one player who is no longer in our long term plans. Moving forward, we need stability, develop familiar and consistent combinations, not a different 2-5 every week.

 

[Harry Sack]

Here's my two cents on the matter. I do think that 2014 should be Hodges' last season. It pains me to say it because I am one of his biggest fans. While Locky was the master puppeteer, controlling games seemingly at will, and Webcke was the rock upon which the team's foundations were built, there simply hasn't been a player that has been more enjoyable to watch for the Broncos in the last ten years. His ungainly stride, his ability to consistently beat the first and second defenders, the way he loped through the defensive line, it was something that no other player could pull off so often. Defences knew he was coming. At the games, and on the TV, you could hear the yelling of "Hodgo!" as he'd amble up to the ruck, dummy, and slice through - expecting it was one thing, but stopping it was another. He's won us more games single-handedly than some NRL players have even played. Having him on the field just gave you that sense that no matter who we were up against, no matter what the odds, there was always the chance of some Hodgo brilliance, as he'd grab the team kicking and screaming towards victory.

But sadly, 2014 has not been kind to him. In his last couple of years, in the absence of a genuine leader, someone to guide us with a cool head, Hodges has simply had too much weight on his shoulders. While his ability to steal a victory in recent times has been invaluable, it has got to the point where that last ditch, all-or-nothing mindset has become his default setting. With Copley really starting to shine in the centres, with Ben Hunt surprising almost everybody and becoming arguably the form half of the NRL, we no longer need to rely on his individual brilliance. In fact, there have been many times this year where patience, composure, and need to stick to a game plan has been what's required, only for Hodgo to jump in, try a high-risk play, and turn the ball over. Or lose the ball trying to milk a penalty. And worst of all, the trademark step, the signature run, has been a shadow of its former self. Obviously the mounting back & leg injuries have caught up with him, he simply does not have the same lope anymore. Someone posted earlier that we've actually go a far better win/loss ratio this year when Hodges doesn't play. That in itself is very telling.

Feeling optimistic for next year, with the return of Bennett, and the addition of Milford in particular, part of me would love to see Hodges go out in a blaze of glory. See him be rewarded for his wonderful service for the club with one last season of success, and watch him enjoy the maturation of so many players that he has undoubtedly influenced during his time here. Unfortunately, and again, it pains me to say it, I just don't think that he has enough left in the tank to be able to reach those heights anymore. For the sake of the team's future, stepping back might be the best way for him to do one last service for the Broncos.

Bitch that's five cents.