HAWTHORN champion Luke Hodge has announced his retirement.
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Hodge is due to play his 300th match against Geelong at the MCG on Saturday. He will hang up the boots at the end of the season.
He was the No.1 pick in the famed 2001 draft, taken ahead of St Kilda's Luke Ball and West Coast's Chris Judd, and went on to win club best and fairests in 2005 and 2010.
Hodge was also the Norm Smith medallist in Hawthorn's flag triumphs in 2008 and 2014 and made the Virgin Australia AFL All Australian team in 2005, 2008 and 2010, the final year as captain.
The 33-year-old captained the Hawks between 2011 and 2016, before Jarryd Roughead took over this season.
Hodge has taken on a mentoring role in defence for young Hawks such as Ryan Burton and Blake Hardwick, who are nominees for this year's NAB AFL Rising Star award.
He has played 13 of Hawthorn's 15 matches, averaging 24.2 disposals in another consistent campaign.
Hodge missed round one because of a club suspension for failing to adequately inform the club of his absence from a pre-season training session, as well as round 12 with groin soreness.
