ego takes all the records

Posted by jrod on October 24, 2008 under VIC | Be the First to Comment

Brad Hodge is now the greatest run scorer in Victorian History, and will soon be the most capped player in history.

Hodge has now scored more runs than Deano, so the legacy has been passed from legend to ego.

Old school Victorian supporters might remember when Hodge debuted for Victoria.

I didn’t look it up, but he scored something like 900 runs as a teenager and as a state we got very excited.

Then came the wandering in the desert period.

Hodge spent a lot of time outside of the team, something that is almost never mentioned these days.

Most Victorians had given up on him, when he did play he almost never made hundreds, and only ever showed flashes of being the real deal.

For modern fans, the Michael Klinger story is very similar, both playing as teenagers, impressing everyone and then losing the plot, and being picked more on potential but dumped when there was a real performer beneath them.

Then it all clicked, for hodge, not klinger, not sure what changed it, but am glad it did, because it produced a run scoring machine.

In the modern era only Deano and Elliott had a better averages for Victoria, but only just.

Being the highest scorer in your states history is quite an achievement, but it also shows that you have not played enough international cricket.

Hodge is always one of the first to say he should be selected, but we have our fate in our own hands, and if he had worked out his game in his early 20’s, he could be a 100 test player by now, instead of a fill in with a phenomenal average.

He will always be remembered as one of the best Victorian batsmen, maybe not on the top tear, which is Ponsford and Harvey.

Not quite on the 2nd tier which is Armstrong, Lawry, Hassett, and Jones.

But with the third tier of Yallop, Elliott, Redpath, and Ryder.

Which would be enough for most, but probably not for Mr Hodge.

I have never warmed to Hodge, and anyone who reads this site will know he is not my favourite, or 12th favourite player.

One thing I can say though, is that I am glad he is one of us, because if he wasn’t I would hate him a lot more, and I would have to watch him make hundreds against us.

In his early 20’s he would have had offers from other states, and he stayed true, you have to respect that.

So, and it’s not easy for me to say this Brad, congratulations on your milestones, you deserve them.