Scott Hodges

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Scott Hodges (born April 26, 1968) is a former Australian rules footballer.

He Is best remembered for his outstanding career as a full-forward with the Port Adelaide Football Club in the SANFL, the pinnacle of which came in 1990 when he won the Magarey Medal as the league's fairest and best player, the Ken Farmer Medal having booted a league record 153 goals and Port Adelaide's Best and Fairest award. Hodges capped this magnificent individual season by capturing his third Premiership medallion, as Port Adelaide defeated Glenelg in the Grand Final by 15 points.

[edit] AFL career

At the age of just 22 and with the football world seemingly at his feet his utter dominance was expected to carry over into the Australian Football League, where he joined the Adelaide Crows in their inaugural season in 1991, having turned down lucrative offers from both the reigning AFL Premiers Collingwood and the Brisbane Bears in the process.

Due to injury and inconsistency Hodges was unable to fully reproduce his best form at the elite level, although there were glimpses of his potential - such as his 11-goal haul against eventual Grand Finallists Geelong in 1992.

Despite that groundbreaking performance and finishing the season as Adelaide's leading goalkicker with 48 goals, in 1993 Hodges' position in the team was compromised following the emergence of glamour spearhead Tony Modra. With Modra's mammoth return of 129 goals in 1993 guaranteeing his status as Adelaide's number one full-forward, Hodges quit the Crows in frustration at the end of the season. Though many thought his AFL career was now finished, a highly successful SANFL sabbatical saw him relisted by the Crows in 1996 but again Hodges found his opportunities limited, only managing a further two games for six goals.

Hodges was given one last opportunity when he was named on the Port Adelaide Football Club's inaugural list with their long-awaited entry into the AFL in 1997, but did not play a game due to a back injury sustained in preseason training, thus sealing his AFL record at 38 games for 100 goals.

[edit] Port Adelaide (SANFL) career

Hodges retired from SANFL football in 1998, having played 183 games and booted 693 goals since his debut in 1987.

Even though most Port Adelaide stalwarts of the era are highly decorated due to the stunning successes of the eighties and nineties, Hodges still manages to stand out. Along with his Magarey Medal, he won the Ken Farmer medal three times, Port Adelaide's Best and Fairest twice and is a Premiership player eight times over.

In 1997 Hodges was rewarded for his service to the Port Adelaide Football Club with Life Membership, before his legend status was assured with his election to Port Adelaide's Greatest Team in 2001 and the Port Hall of Fame in 2002.