Brisbane’s football manager, David Noble, says Luke Hodge is certain he wants to play on next season.
Hodge, who is contracted for next year, has been a big hit since moving to the Lions from Hawthorn during last year’s trade period after coming out of retirement.
Having spoken with the veteran defender in recent weeks, Noble immediately got the vibe that the four-time premiership player is keen to fulfil his current contract.
“The plan was always for him to play for two years,” he told SEN’s Time On.
“I had a really similar conversation when James Podsiadly went to Adelaide, that there was two years left in the tank, and the second year might look different to the first year.
“His form line and preparation has been outstanding this year. Talking to Hodgey over the last few weeks, he’s really clear that he’s playing again next year.
“He might be managed a bit more, but he’s a hard one. I know the coach (Chris Fagan) sort of said to me that we wanted to rest him for this one - he doesn’t accept that very well.
“I guess that’s a good sign, because his competitiveness of wanting to continue to play and add to the value of what he does best, which is on the job training and coaching for our players.
“He’s certainly up for playing next year.”
Hodge, who has played 16 games for the Lions this season, has been an extremely valuable addition to Chris Fagan’s young side with his wealth of experience and knowledge of the game.
The former Hawk has previously stated he was unsure as to whether he will go around again in 2019.
Listen to Brisbane GM David Noble's chat on SEN's Time On with Sam McClure in the player below