The stars of the AFL are currently putting the final touches on their Dream Teams and Hodge, keen to gain a psychological edge over his opponents, has aimed a salvo across the bow of Collingwood representative Dale Thomas.
"I had Daisy in my team a couple of years ago, but I couldn't squeeze him in last year. I'm still a bit undecided if he'll get a guernsey this year," Hodge says.
"I guess I should be nice and include him. Going by his coaching form in last year's competition being a player in my team is about his only shot at success.
"He'll have to do a fair bit of study and homework just to make the finals, I think."
Thomas, however, was unfazed by the verbal assault and remained focused on the ball and not the man.
"I'll have Hodgie in my side even though he's potted me," Thomas says.
"I can't really say much to him – he's a Norm Smith Medallist and he won a premiership last year. I'm not going to come out throwing rocks before a ball's even been bounced.
"But hopefully my team can do the talking on the field and he'll be sitting there with egg on his face in September."
This latest exchange comes after Luke Ball had earlier singled out Hodge as a player he was desperate to beat this year. The hard nut Hawk had a few choice words for the upstart Saint as well.
"Bally always seems to go pretty well during the year, but he seems to really drop off quite badly in the finals," he says.
"I'm happy to let Bally have a crack during the year, but when it comes down to crunch time in the finals that's when the real quality shows out."
The barbs were, of course, made with tongue firmly in cheek, but Hodge revealed he doesn't hold back when his Hawthorn teammates disappoint their Dream Team coach.
"I had Franky [Lance Franklin] in my squad early last year, but he was giving away too many free kicks so I had to get him out of there," he says.
"I mentioned that he was costing me points, but the more I seemed to talk to him about it, the worse the problem got. In the end I decided I just had to trade him out. It was a tough decision to make, but he left me no choice."
Sam Mitchell, Jarryd Roughead and Brent Guerra form the nucleus of Hodge's side, but he's mindful of not loading up his Dream Team with too many of his premiership teammates.
But for Thomas it's a case of the more Magpies the merrier.
"It's fun to have those blokes in your Dream Team because you can give them a bit of a ribbing and a kick in the bum if they're not getting a touch for you," he says.
"I certainly let them know if I trade them out of my squad and it’s always a good laugh."
Dream Team watch – Luke Hodge is rated a $428,800 defender in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.
