AFL Origin: Hawthorn champion Luke Hodge says Western Australia will relish underdog tag against Victoria

Three of last year’s All-Australian representatives compared to Victoria’s 12. Two reigning club champions as opposed to nine from Victoria. And 102 Brownlow votes compared to a whopping 368 from the ‘Big V’. Western Australia enter next weekend’s AFL Origin clash as rank outsiders — but it’s just the way they’d want it, according to footy legend Luke Hodge. The final players for the Optus Stadium blockbuster were locked in on Wednesday, with 50 of the AFL’s very best set to put on a show in front of a sell-out parochial WA crowd. While bookmakers don’t give the Sandgropers much of a chance, heading in as $3 underdogs at TABTouch compared to the Victorians as a raging $1.38 favourite, four-time Hawthorn premiership star Hodge has backed WA to relish their status as the David to Victoria’s Goliath. “You have to embrace it. There’s nothing better than when you’re an underdog in front of your home crowd and knocking off a team that’s coming across which everyone expects to win. I think that’s going to be the motivating factor for them,” Hodge told The West Australian. “You know what Coxy (WA coach Dean Cox) is going to be able to do. You know how passionate the big man is. So for him to lead that side out, especially with the guys led by Crippa (captain Patrick Cripps), you’re going to have a motivated bunch.” Hodge said he was keen to see a shootout for the return of the representative clash for the first time in more than a quarter of a century. “What I hope is the same as everyone else. It’s going to be an entertaining game, I hope there’s not a hell of a lot of defence like back in the 80s and 90s. I’m hoping we see 20 to 25 goals each,” he said. It comes as Victorian ruck star Max Gawn went so far as to suggest Marcus Bontempelli - one of the AFL’s elite ball-winners of the past decade - may be squeezed out of his team’s midfield and into a forward role, such is the depth of talent in their engine room. “The midfield alone, I don’t think Bont is actually in the starting midfield,” Gawn told Triple M. “I think it’s the two Gold Coast boys (Matt) Rowell and (Noah) Anderson, and then (Nick) Daicos, (Caleb) Serong and (Zak) Butters. “I don’t think those three can play anywhere else where as Bont can. I think Bont’s going to be playing as the stay-at-home full-forward.” While Western Australia’s midfield may not be as strong as their arch-rivals, Hodge said their mosquito fleet of speedsters in Kysaiah Pickett, Charlie Cameron, Callum Ah Chee and Shai Bolton would be key for the Sandgropers to claim victory. “If you can get the game on Bolton’s terms, if you can get the game on Cameron’s terms, if Luke Jackson as a key forward up there... can make a contest up there and bring it to ground, then you let let those little half forwards go to work who can change a game,” he said. “If you look at all the big games over the past couple of years, it hasn’t been the key forwards but the small agile forwards who have been kicking the goals. “You throw Kozzie Pickett in there as well, he’s another who can turn a game. And then Chad Warner, he had a quiet year (in 2025) but he’s had a solid pre-season from what they’ve said.” VICTORIA Total Games – 4472 Average Games – 178.9 Total Games Won – 2349 Average Games Won – 94 Total Goals Kicked– 3345 Average Goals Kicked – 133.8 Average Age – 28.44 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Total Games – 4066 Average Games – 162.6 Total Games Won – 2187 Average Games Won – 87.5 Total Goals Kicked – 3032 Average Goals Kicked – 121.3 Average Age – 28.22