Hodge ruling out Brisbane hosting a final if they lose to GWS

Former Brisbane Lion and four-time Hawthorn premiership star Luke Hodge believes his former team can say goodbye to a home final if they lose to the GWS Giants on Anzac Day.

The Lions came into the 2024 season as one of the favourites to take home the flag but have struggled for form early on, winning just two games from six and losing all three games at The Gabba so far after going undefeated at the fortress last year.

Coming off a disappointing loss to Geelong last week in horrible conditions, Chris Fagan’s side travel to Canberra to take on the high-flying Giants, who sit third on the ladder with just one loss.

While Hodge said he didn’t think the form of the Lions had been as bad as their record shows, a loss to GWS would make their road back to a grand final extremely difficult.

“Yes (they can still make finals), because the teams they’ve played I’ve got in finals… there’s still a chance but there’s no home finals, if they lose this one they’re scraping the barrel,” he said on Breakfast SENQ.

“For a team that’s won more home and away games the last five years than any other side, you can’t count them out.

“They’re 2-4 but one positive for them is everyone above them is beating each other, so it’s not as though they’re streaks behind, they’re a game and a bit out of the eight.

“It sounds weird, I don’t think they’re playing that bad a football.

“If you watch it, their third quarter against Carlton was shocking, after quart time against Fremantle, they actually played good football against Collingwood, they dismantled Melbourne.

“I feel that watching it, I commentated on the game, they just didn’t play smart football (against Geelong), they didn’t adjust to the conditions, they were trying to be too cute, they overplayed it with handball.

“When you got the ball in wet weather it’s about taking ground, it’s about kicking as far as you can. When you got forwards like Linc McCarthy and Charlie (Cameron), these kinds of guys, give them space, put it out in space for them to run onto because with their leg speed, no one is going to catch them.

“I just felt Geelong adapted to the conditions a lot better than what the Lions did.

“One good thing for them is they’re playing tomorrow night so they don’t have a long time to stress over it, they’ve got to move on and focus on GWS.”

Comparing this year’s Lions to his 2009 Hawks side, which failed to make the top eight after their fairytale run to the 2008 flag, Hodge said he didn’t see any similarities.

“We celebrated for about six months… you know the old saying you can’t win a grand final in October and November but you can lose one, we lost it,” Hodge said.

“I saw nothing of that with the Lions, everyone I spoke to, how they came back, they were motivated, they were disappointed.

“I saw them in preseason, I saw how fit they were, their mindset and their attitude… one good thing is we’ve got 24 games and they’ve only played six.”

The Lions clash with GWS on Anzac Day will be live on SEN as part of a massive weekend of live sport, with coverage starting at 7pm.