Hodgkin knew the move was always going to upset people within his old club, but he was prepared for it.

“I just ignore that type of stuff, I made the decision for the right reason and I’m happy with every decision I’ve made so far,” he said.

“I think both parties will get over it in time.

“I tried to be as respectful as I could given the situation and I hold no bad blood towards Wodonga.

“I guess there will be a bit of a build-up the first time we play next year, but after that we’ll get on with business.

“I’ve had a lot of texts and calls from people at the club that understood why I made the decision, so to get that type of feedback from people still involved in the club I guess confirmed the decision and made me realise they understood as well.”

Among some of Hodgkin’s critics was Wodonga co-captain Brett Doswell, who told The Border Mail in August he’d lost some respect for the way Hodgkin went about the decision, saying there was ‘a right and a wrong way.’

“Dossy’s a good bloke and obviously he was a bit upset at the time and probably said some things he might have wanted to take back afterwards, I’m not sure,” Hodgkin said.

“He’s entitled to his own opinion and I don’t hold any grudges with what he said.

“Some people were taken aback by how quickly it was announced after the season, but given the situation and the so-called rivalry between the two clubs, there was always going to be a bit of backlash after the move.

“There’s not really a best time for an announcement like that, but as far as I was concerned, Wodonga’s season was finished when the decision was made.

“There was no real reason to keep it in the dark any longer and I wanted to be as respectful as possible to Fully (new Wodonga coach Zac Fulford) and the Wodonga Football Club to give them as much notice as I could to help them plan for next year.

“I didn’t want it dragging out longer and having rumours flying around town, I wanted to be upfront and honest.”

Hodgkin admitted the opportunity came around quicker than he expected.

“I hadn’t really thought about to be honest, I was at Wodonga and it came a bit out of left field halfway through the year,” he said.

“Obviously with Fully taking the reins at Wodonga next year they had their hands tied in terms of offering me a coaching position any time in the foreseeable future.

“It’s new grounds for me, but I think I’m capable of doing a good job and I wouldn’t be putting my hand up if I didn’t think I was ready for it.”

Hodgkin doesn’t buy into the rivalry debate between the Bulldogs and Raiders.

“There’s no real great footy rivalry between the two clubs, traditionally one club has probably been quite poor when the other has been strong and vice-versa,” he said.

“It’s been quite a while since they’ve played each other in a finals game.

“At the end of the day, it’s a footy opportunity and it’s something that’s a great opportunity for me.”