Luke Hodge still a force in the game, says Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson Alairstar Clarkson has backed Luke Hodge and believes he will return to his best form. ALASTAIR Clarkson says critics who believe football has seen the best of Luke Hodge will soon eat their words. The Hawthorn coach yesterday backed Hodge to return to his best form despite a pre-season slowed by surgery on an unstable posterior cruciate ligament. He denied the club's window of opportunity was closing, despite claims from Dermott Brereton that Hawthorn was running out of chances to win another flag with this group of players. Hodge expects big buddy pay cut Clarkson also promised Lance Franklin's contract dramas would not descend into the kind of circus that saw Travis Cloke and Collingwood at loggerheads last year. In his season preview for Fox Sports, Clarkson was adamant Hodge, 28, was not on the wane. "He's been a very, very durable player for us and a very, very good player for us and that's why he is the captain of our footy club," Clarkson said. On the back of one injury that has curtailed one season for him, I think it's pretty premature on all fronts to be thinking this is the downward spiral for Luke Hodge. He's training particularly well, he's ready to play games now. When Luke Hodge is ready to go, that's exciting for all Hawthorn supporters. Asked whether he thought Franklin would re-sign at season's end, Clarkson said: "I'm confident he will stay." But doesn't Hawthorn want to minimise distractions surrounding Franklin's contract? "The way our club handles it, Lance handles it, the football world handles it will be very different to how it was handled by Collingwood last year and Trav," he said. We will just let it unfold. Every player through free agency is entitled to that right. Clarkson said despite perceptions Hawthorn would soon bottom out, the club wanted to "buck the trend," like Geelong and Sydney before them. "We are confident if we put the right practices in place we will be able to do that," he said.