Hamstrung no more: Hodge ready for Power
Luke Hodge breezes through training ahead of Port Adelaide clash
HAWTHORN skipper Luke Hodge has cruised through the club's final training session ahead of Saturday night's top-of-the-table encounter with Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
Tightness in the 29-year-old's right hamstring saw him withdrawn before the bounce in Hawthorn's round eight loss to the Sydney Swans, with the Hawks having their bye last weekend.
Hodge didn't show any signs of lingering tightness on Friday night, leading the playing group through an easy session – although he barely worked up a sweat.
Even if the captain's hamstring wasn't at 100 per cent for the clash with the Power, Hawthorn assistant coach Brett Ratten said the star didn't need to be at his dominant best in order to pose problems for Port.
"Luke, as we know, doesn't need to have 30 possessions to really influence a game," Ratten said.
"It'll be what he does by directing players, the contests that he's involved in, so we think he'll just do that naturally."
Both Liam Shiels and Brad Sewell also trained fully before signing autographs for Adelaide-based Hawks fans.