HAWTHORN legend Luke Hodge is set to continue his career with the Brisbane Lions, with his playing deal expected to last for two years.
Meanwhile, the 33-year-old might not necessarily be traded for a late selection with Lions football manager David Noble revealing he could be picked up in either the NAB AFL Draft or the pre-season draft.
Hodge announced his retirement in July and seemingly ended his career after the Hawks' final-round win over the Western Bulldogs.
Final confirmation on his decision about whether he plays on is expected by the end of this week.
Noble told NAB AFL Trade Radio on Monday Hodge's deal could be similar to that of former Geelong and Adelaide forward James Podsiadly.
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His career with the Cats finished at the end of 2013 but he moved to the Crows on a two-year deal.
"We looked at it not dissimilar to the discussions I had with James Podsiadly, going back a few years," Noble said.
"Managing a player through a couple of years with a number of games in our head that we think that he can probably play, he probably thinks he can play, and therefore you end up looking at that over a couple-of-year period."
Hodge isn't yet sold on coaching, so that wouldn't necessarily be part of his initial contract with the Lions.
Asked if a trade would have to be orchestrated with the Hawks, Noble indicated it was unlikely.
"I don't think so. That's a little bit of the mechanical piece that we have to go through. We've got some early picks, potentially we've got some academy kids that are on the radar for us," Noble said.
"You've got to have the same number of picks as the same number of positions on your list, so it's just going to be a managing piece for us going forward, as to whether it's in the national or whether it's in the pre-season, or whether it becomes a late trade.
"All those three options are probably still on the table until we work through what that actually looks like for ourselves."
Hodge's move to the Queensland-based club is all but certain.
"We'd like to think we just need to tick off the last couple of things," Noble said.
"We know Hodgey's done his due diligence with (coach Chris Fagan) on where the club's at, how it's positioned, where the list is. He's done plenty of discussions with the family and (wife) Lauren about moving away and coming up to Brissy. We're confident that it's in a really good position."
In other news, Noble said a potential deal with Crows speedster Charlie Cameron would "play out over the next few weeks".
Cameron is contracted until the end of 2018.
Josh Schache, the No.2 selection from 2015, could be looking to move despite signing a two-year deal in June.
"We'll certainly go back and have a chat to Dave Trotter and just see where all this banter and this innuendo and speculation comes from, just to get some clarity," Noble said.
The Lions expected to hear from Tom Rockliff's manager Tom Petroro before the free agency period opens on Friday, with the midfielder's future expected to lie elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Noble was confident ruckman Stefan Martin wouldn't be leaving.
