When you read those words, you could almost believe that a photo of Luke Hodge sits alongside them.
The Hawthorn captain lives up to that definition - an influential person both on and off the field.
Hodge plays his 200th match for the Hawks against Port Adelaide on Sunday, and so an opportunity arises to reflect on the Hodge factor.
Club captain since 2010, Hodge’s ability to be an able, supportive teammate and friend to predecessors Sam Mitchell and Shane Crawford is unparalleled.
Selected with the number one pick in the 2001 draft, Hodge has played each of his 199 matches in the same way - with skill, desire, precision and courage.
His courageous style of play has been likened to North Melbourne champion Glenn Archer and, when watching highlights of the Hawks’ skipper, there’s little wonder why.
In the 2008 preliminary final against St Kilda, Hodge ran back with the flight of the ball in an attempt to spoil Saints’ forward Justin Koschitzke - taking no notice of the fact that the ball was likely to head over the boundary on the full.
Koschitkze heavily collided with Hodge, leaving both players struggling for breath.
Hodge reached for his ribs, but refused to show any sign of weakness with 1:38 left on the clock in the opening term.
Instead, he got to his feet to chip a pass to teammate Brent Guerra in his side’s defensive goal mouth.
Hodge presented again despite flurry of Hawthorn trainers lingering in the Saints’ forward 50, itching to attend to the Hawks’ star.
He received the football and released Michael Osborne with a precise kick.
Despite the trainer’s best efforts, Hodge waved them away.
It later emerged that he had suffered broken ribs.
You wouldn’t have known it though, from the way the now Hawthorn captain went on to win the Norm Smith Medal in the Club’s 2008 premiership win over Geelong.
In a best-on-ground performance, Hodge gathered 26 disposals, took nine marks, had three clearances, five tackles and a game high eight one per centers.
Hodge’s performance was lauded by AFL Hall of Fame inductee Gerard Healy for his “ability to run back, to block, to smother, to shepherd, to spoil and to force Geelong wide to take pot shots from wider positions than normal.”
Ask Luke Hodge though, and he’ll tell you that it wasn’t him that had the most influence on the match that last Saturday in September.
It was, instead, two of his teammates that turned the match in the Hawks’ favour.
“I still go back and the two things that I remember the most are Junior Rioli’s tackles on the wing and the other thing I think that won us the grand final was Stewie Dew’s five minutes,” Hodge said.
“If I think of the grand final that sticks out in my mind.
“He (Dew) kicked a couple of goals, he set up a couple and I think that really put us on the road to victory.”
Undoubtedly, the 2008 premiership is the highlight of a decorated career for Hodge - a three-time All Australian (2005, 2008, 2010) and two-time Peter Crimmins Medallist (2005, 2010).
But, there was a moment in 2006 that also stands out.
“The last couple of games at the end of 2006 when the group that pretty much got us through to the grand final in 2008 really gelled,” he said.
“We won the last two or three games, we beat Geelong at Etihad and I could really see that the boys believed that we could really go all the way.
“Two years later we won the grand final.
“It was like a flick of the switch, that the boys really had belief.
“It drove us the whole pre-season - that feeling after that loss to North Melbourne, it was a shocking feeling.
“We had a really good pre-season the next year, and we didn’t want to walk off the ground the next year with that same feeling as what we did after the North game.
“It was definitely a motivator."
Despite the accomplishments, external recognition and accolades Hodge has received over his 199 games, the reason why he players football isn’t lost on him.
“You go out and play football because it’s such a good game and you love the game but it’s also to see the excitement on the supporters’ face when you win a grand final or you win a close game,” he said.
"It shows how much it means to the supporters.
“To have 60,000 members and no matter where you go, you’ve always got Hawthorn people around you saying g’day - we’ve got some very loyal supporters.
“You know the people that are coming to talk to you, you know what the Hawthorn Football Club means to them.”
Ever the team man, Hodge will leave the reflection on his 200 matches to the day he packs away his number 15 guernsey for the last time - a day he can’t see coming anytime soon.
“It’s something that I’ll look back on when I’m finished,” he said.
“The first thing you do when you get drafted is play your first game and then when that happens you want to get to 100 games.
“A huge highlight was becoming a life member at the Club after playing 150 games.
“I guess 200, and hopefully a few more, I’ll look back on it when I’m finished and be very proud of it.”
Kate Salemme is a member of Hawthorn Football Club’s Digital media team reporting exclusively for hawthornfc.com.au from the Ricoh Centre.
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