Attacking giants on collision course
24.09.2009



By: Dan Koch
Rugby League
THEY share a bond so close they consider each other family. Brothers in arms if you will.
On Saturday night, however, Justin Hodges and Greg Inglis are set to take ``sibling'' rivalry to a whole new level.
For the first time, the game's two best three-quarters will square off in a mouth-watering, high-stakes battle.
The prize awaiting the winner at the end of what promises to be an enthralling 80 minutes is a spot in Sunday week's NRL grand final in Sydney.
``I am looking forward to it,'' Hodges said. ``It is something we have never done before and we are both pretty competitive. We have developed a great friendship playing together (for Queensland and Australia) over the past few years, but that is not going to stop us going out and doing what we need to do to win the game for our team. We'll be at it until that final siren. We can be friends again afterwards.'' While coaches do not traditionally buy into the hype surrounding personal confrontations within the game itself, Broncos coach Ivan Henjak admitted the prospect of the Hodges-Inglis clash had awoken the footy-lover inside of him.
``They are two good mates, though I am sure that friendship will be on ice until the end of the footy match on Saturday,'' Henjak said. ``They are two blokes who can turn a footy match on their own. There aren't many blokes who can change the course of the game with a single involvement, but Greg and Hodgo are two that can.
``They are both very unpredictable. They are big, elusive, strong, quick -- they have everything and they are both in good form. I am actually really looking forward to watching them go at it. There are a lot of great match-ups all over the field, but definitely that is one the fans will pay to come and see.''
While much has been made of Parramatta ace Jarryd Hayne's remarkable run of form in the second half of the year, there is not even a moment's hesitation from either camp when asked if they'd be happy to trade.
``Hodgo is very important to what we do here,'' Henjak said.
``He is a big presence on the field but he is really important to our dressing room. We wouldn't swap him for anyone and I imagine Melbourne would say the same about Greg.''
At 195cm, Inglis, 22, is 4cm taller than his long-time Queensland State of Origin partner and at around 106kg, also boasts an 8kg weight advantage.
While Inglis' sheer physical presence is enough to intimidate many an opposing defender, Hodges, 27, is renowned for his strength, which he uses with some of the best footwork in the game to terrorise opposition sides when he runs out of dummy-half.
``The last time we played the Broncos in Townsville, Hodgo tore us to shreds out of dummy-half,'' Cowboys skipper and fellow Maroons star Johnathan Thurston said. ``It is one of those things. He gets in there, you know he is going to run it, he does, but he throws out that big left palm and puts on that big right-foot step and makes you look silly.''
Having played provider for the duo -- Inglis on the left, Hodges on the right -- for both Queensland and Australia, Thurston witnessed first-hand just how devastating either man can be in a one-on-one match-up.
When the one-on-one pits one against the other, well, that is a prospect that even excites Thurston, a player known for the odd piece of magic himself.
``As a halfback, having those two guys to play through -- that is a dream,'' Thurston said. ``All you want to do is get them early ball. If you can get them one-on-one with a bit of room, they are virtually impossible to stop.
``But the thing with GI and Hodgo is that they can create something out of nothing. They have so many weapons -- they're big, strong, fast. They can run, pass, kick -- do whatever.
``So if they get any room to move, the defender is thinking about all that and they only need a slight hesitation and they will take advantage.''
While fear of retribution prevented Thurston picking a winner, he had no doubt Hodges would dominate in one area of exchange: ``Hodgo talks better. For trash-talking Hodgo has him covered.''