Cooper Hodge, the teenage son of Hawthorn premiership great Luke Hodge, will make his VFL debut this weekend, wearing Brisbane Lions colours.
The 17-year-old, who only became eligible to play at state league level last week, has been named in the Lions’ side to face Coburg at Barry Plant Park on Saturday.
A member of Brisbane’s academy, Cooper has spent 2025 playing with QAFL club Morningside, but looms as a fascinating draft story as both the Lions and Hawks keep close tabs on him.
Hodge is a father-son prospect for Hawthorn, where his dad played over 300 games and captained the club to three straight premierships. But Luke also finished his career in Brisbane, and the family has remained in Queensland ever since.
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Family ties, divided loyalties
Hawthorn recently hosted Cooper at training, and he stayed with club recruiter and family friend Jarryd Roughead. Hawks coach Sam Mitchell was impressed with what he saw but mindful of the attention the teenager is receiving.
“He wants to learn, he’s going to be a nice talent,” Mitchell said. “Because of his dad’s fame and accolades, there’s a lot more pressure on him… He was great, he is a really energetic kid, quiet, respectful and goes about his business.”
Luke Hodge, meanwhile, tried to play down the tug-of-war surrounding his son’s future. “He’s about 50-50,” he said with a smile, when asked which club Cooper leans towards.
“He’s been very fortunate… he’s been lucky enough to spend two days at Hawthorn, but also to spend the last two years in the Lions academy, getting coached by Grant Birchall and Mitch Hahn. He’s really loving football at the moment.”