Wodonga Raiders have landed a stunning coup by snaring fierce rival Wodonga’s gun recruit, Jarrod Hodgkin.
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The 25-year-old will join Raiders as an assistant coach, before taking the top job from Daryn Cresswell in 2019.
“I have a mutual friend of Jarrod, who I hold in high regard, and he’s a very good judge on personality and character and he’s spoken very highly of Jarrod,” Cresswell said.
“That’s shown in the two or three meetings that I had with him and just how he handles himself.”
Hodgkin is, potentially, the highest-profile recruit to do a straight swap between the clubs.
I think he’s an exceptional player and he’s got a real high ability to win the footy and impact the game.
- Daryn Cresswell
There’s been a stack of top-liners move, including Simon Bone and Darren Harris.
However, Bone spent two years in the VFA, while Harris spent time in Bendigo and Perth.
Hodgkin’s move is a bitter blow to Wodonga’s hopes of finally breaking a finals drought.
He was the club’s star signing after playing in a premiership at Heidelberg.
He had a stack of games with 30-plus possessions and could feature in the league’s Morris Medal.
Wodonga has already appointed Zac Fulford as coach.
“Some of the things he’s spoken about are the things we want to stabilise at our club and he’ll drive some really good standards and teaching examples, on and off the ground,” Cresswell said.
“I think he’s an exceptional player and he’s got a real high ability to win the footy.”
