Centre:
Justin Hodges, Round 13, Roosters vs Bulldogs
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It had been a troubled year for Justin Hodges. After breaking up with his sexy fiancé and parting ways with her UNBELIEVABLE ass, (
http://www.australian-swimsuit-edition.com/specialfeatures/missindy2003.htm ) Hodges was an understandable lost and distraught young man. He fled pre-season training to once again hide back into his shell at Brisbane, as he had done before when the going got too tough. Justin has always been a very talented but very troubled player. He seemed destined for Maroon and Kangaroo glory as he dominated the centre position in 2003, only to get injured and miss the rest of the season in what was his second, and it would seem cursed, origin mishap. Patience would prevail with Justin, patience from coaches, team-mates and fans would see him overcome his personal issues and in time unleash his potential back onto the rugby league world at large. The Roosters re-signed him until 2008, and locked the troubled youngster to the club for the better half of his career. It was time to show a little faith.
After a surprising Origin call-up, and a mediocre performance, a much criticized Justin looked like hed found his motivator: a desire to succeed at rep level, a desire to force the Queensland selectors to pick him in his favoured position of centre. Justin came into Round 12 against the Warriors, ready to turn it on. And turn it on he did; in an awesome, man of the match winning performance Justin bagged three tries, two try assists and two line breaks as the Roosters put NZ under the pump. Justin was back! He gleefully told reporters on ground to tell the Qld selectors to pick him at centre. Later in the week he wrote in the Insider column of Big League that all the troubles were over. He was now ready for a BIG 2004, a 2004 that would make up for all the what ifs? of 2003 and then some. Justin was destined for glory, and Rooster fans were getting ready to bath in it once more as they battled the Bulldogs in another grudge match. How sweet would this victory be? Another repeat of the 35-0 humiliation they hoped? And Justin, just one more step away from a Qld recall at centre and maybe that elusive Rep dominance?
Unfortunately for the Roosters and especially for Justin, it would prove to be the night to forget as an angry and vengeful Bulldogs team unleashed themselves onto a Roosters outfit that failed to show the respect deserved and aim up. It all started well enough, but as the Roosters went wide the Bulldogs played it up the middle. An angry OMealy, followed by an angry Price followed by an angry Ryan, followed by an angry Mason relentlessly played over the top of a surprised Roosters pack. In his best performance this year a commanding Sherwin controlled the game on the back of his pack and a superb kick. And they began to convert this dominance into points. The Roosters would need something special to get themselves out of this one. And like so many times before Freddy produced. A freakish kick to himself saw the Roosters go in under the posts and give themselves a hope of a comeback, it was game on.
It was at this point that Steve Folks decided to unleash Willie Tonga unto an unsuspecting rugby league world. Poor Hodges, he didnt have a clue. As the ball went left a devastating Tonga fended and stepped outside a slow, struggling Justin Hodges. Tonga stepped and stepped and stepped. In a blistering display of footwork Tonga beat his much more fancied rival and scored for the Dogs. He had taken his opposite man on one-on-one and shown him up to be a fool. Justin had let his team down badly, in a side with such an emphasis on individual responsibility in defence. But things would get worse for Justin, MUCH worse.
Tonga did it again. A devastated and shattered Hodges could not bear the humiliation. He had, as an individual, been humiliated, been shown up and as an individual he had cost him team any chance of a comeback. So he lashed out. In a sickening headhigh tackle from the kick off on the much loved Steve Price, Hodges was put out of his misery and sent off. To the boos, cheers and baiting of a bloodthirsty Bulldogs crowd he took the walk of shame. In the nastiest death stare ever witnessed by mankind the camera flashed to a seething Ricky Stuart, it is a sight that still haunts many to this day.
In most probably the worst performance of 2004 Justin Hodges had been shown up and humiliated by his opposite, let in two tries personally costing the Roosters any hope of a comeback, and been sent off forcing his team to play on with only 12 men.
But things got a whole lot worse for Justin on the back of that night. Firstly he was suspended for several weeks for the high shot. Then he lost the origin centre spot that seemed his only a few days before to the man that had completely outclassed him, Willie Tonga. He was then voted the most overrated player in the game by his peers. And once again he went into his shell and ran away from it all to Brisbane. Once there he asked for a release from his long contract with the Roosters, which was granted. He will play for the Broncos next year, on what is believed to be a much reduced contract. He languished in premier league for a while before Ricky made his players vote on whether to include him again in first grade, a vote he won. He has the chance to earn back some respect from the players and coach he humiliated on the back of his Round 13 disaster, but he still has a long, long way to go.
Never has a mans life been so utterly destroyed in such a short space of time. To be humiliated by your opposite, to lose your dream of Origin, to lose the respect of your peers, coach and fans, and to lose your will to tough it out by taking the soft option to hide away in Brisbane and tear-up your lucrative long-term contract
It truly was one of the Worst Performances of 2004.
Coming up soon:
Rhys Wesser, Round 23, Roosters vs Panthers
Munched
