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DYNAMIC, respectful, selfless, supportive and relentless.

Those are the Hawthorn Football Club's five core values.

Throw in courage and leadership, and you would struggle to find a better description of Luke Hodge.

The premiership captain is the embodiment of his club, so it seems only fitting that in Saturday's Grand Final against the Sydney Swans, Hodge will lead the Hawks into battle in his 250th career game.

In a week where his former teammate Lance Franklin has dominated the headline, Hodge's milestone has approached largely unnoticed.

But to say the skipper's presence and importance to Hawthorn on Grand Final day has been diminished could not be further from the truth.

Six seasons have passed since Hodge stood atop the dais – broken ribs and all – as the Norm Smith medallist in the Hawks' famous 2008 triumph.

Since then, the 30-year-old has become a modern-day legend among the brown and gold faithful.

"[He is] incredible," Hawks immortal Leigh Matthews told AFL.com.au this week.

"Hawthorn's strength this week is probably him and what he adds, the whole influence that he has on those around him."

It could be argued that Hawthorn would not even be playing in the Grand Final if it wasn't for Hodge.

With 60 seconds left on the clock in the preliminary final and with a surging Port Adelaide threatening to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, Hodge seized the moment and executed a smother that, in all likelihood, saved the game for the Hawks.

“You look at his smother last weekend and right when the game is on the line he seems to be in the right place at the right time and willing to do what has to be done,” says '08 premiership skipper Sam Mitchell, the man Hodge succeeded at the helm.

“His smother last week was one that not many other players are capable of and his composure out on the field is excellent.

“I think in finals, sometimes composure is what makes the difference and he's certainly had that his whole career. 

"It's been very well documented how strong he's been in that area and his leadership and composure is going to be really important for us on Saturday." 

When it comes to respected leaders of the modern era, few would surpass Jonathon Brown.

But the Brisbane Lions champion could offer Hodge no higher accolade than comparing him to his own triple-premiership captain Michael Voss.

"He'd have to be my favourite player in the comp; he has been for quite a few years," Brown told AFL.com.au. 

"I loved some of our battles together. We always had plenty of banter to-ing and fro-ing out there and I loved his competitive nature.

"For mine, he's very similar to Michael Voss. Voss' great ability was to sense the moment in big games and to do something special for his team.

"Whether it be to put his body on the line or that smother he made late in the game against Port Adelaide last week, a big mark, a courageous mark, kick a goal – whatever it may be – Voss had an amazing ability to sense the moment and do something about it and turn it in the favour of his team. 

"Luke Hodge has got those similar qualities and that's what really stands out for mine.

"He's got a great ability to play hurt like Voss did as well."

One of Hodge's most loyal lieutenants, midfield workhorse Brad Sewell, won't be by his side in this Grand Final. 

But he believes the skipper has somehow grown in stature throughout Hawthorn's turbulent campaign.

"Luke Hodge is at a point where he's yet to really lose any of the physical attributes that have made him a great player, but his footy brain is also more developed than ever," Sewell wrote in his AFL Players' Association column this week.

"On the field, he's as valuable without the ball in his hands as he is with it; he's never been as important to Hawthorn as he is right now.

"It's a great luxury to play alongside someone as versatile as Hodgey, who can play as a forward, defender or midfielder. 

"But better than that, he's omnipresent on the field – no matter which section of the ground he's playing in. 

"If he's in the backline, I'll still notice him having an effect on me and the rest of our midfielders. 

"He has fantastic vision, an ability to see what's about to unfold before anyone else does and always directs players to a position where they can either get the ball or prevent the opposition from getting it."

It's the "headaches" that another premiership-winning Hawk, Campbell Brown, remembers best from playing alongside Hodge.

"Obviously he's very inspirational from his actions out there, but it was more his instructions and coaching out on the ground that stand out to me," he told AFL.com.au.

"He's constantly barking instructions and setting up players around him to get in the right spots.

"From the start of the game to the end of it, he's just screaming. His verbal leadership was outstanding.

"You'd come off the field with a headache from Hodgey just barking instructions the whole time."

After being drafted with the top selection in 2001's so-called 'super draft', Hodge was always earmarked for greatness.

But it took Alastair Clarkson's arrival as Hawthorn coach in 2004 to get the best out of the boy from Colac and, in turn, the Hawks as they secured the unexpected flag that broke the club's 17-year premiership drought.

"He was always quite loud out on the field but it was probably under Clarko when, as players, we became settled in positions and he was a bit older and more mature in the group that he really took it to a new level," Brown recalls.

"That was exactly what we needed, especially when we were trying to implement that full-ground press because if one person wasn't in the right spot or not going at the right time, the whole thing broke down. 

"He became really crucial and that's probably why he went down and played across the half-back line because he could stand there and see it all unfolding better and that was really important."

Brown hopes to see Hodge sweeping across half-back once more against the Swans, throwing his 186cm and 89kg frame into the fray with typical reckless abandon.

"He's so good in the air, he can chop off leads and come third man up against (Kurt) Tippett and (Sam) Reid and Buddy, which is going to be important to get the ball on the ground," he said.

But wherever he plays, the other 21 Hawks will walk taller because he's there, says Jonathon Brown.

"Of course they do. For mine they're at least a three-goal better side with him in the line-up," he said.

"He's captain courageous and the guys just want to follow him."