The former Scotch Oakburn student debuted in 2016 as a 15-year-old but his ties to Windsor Park go back further than that - as far back as under-9s.

Not only does Hodge remember watching Anthony Taylor and Scott Stephens lift the State League cup in 2011, but the young utility is still being inspired by the Blues' most recent success.

"I always remember watching that as a young fella thinking you want to be like that and 'I can't wait to play seniors', and always going down and watching the senior group play," Hodge said.

"And now you're there... sometimes you don't give enough credit to yourself to actually [acknowledge] you're doing what you always wanted to do when you were a young fella.

"Now you see the young kids down there when you're playing and training and think 'that was me once'."

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Having spent much of his career as a forward, Hodge found himself training with the defenders during the back end of the pre-season.

After "struggling" in the practice matches, the former Tassie Mariner is beginning to feel more comfortable manning an opponent alongside the likes of Jake Smith, Simon Vandervelde and Ryan Tyrrell.

"The big change for me is I've been doing a lot of work with the coaches on body positioning and where to position yourself when the ball's coming in," he said.

"Another thing growing up an attacking player ... is getting that right mix of when to attack and when to defend.

"So I've been working with [coach Mitch Thorp] on that a lot - when you need to attack and get the ball for yourself for the team, and when you need to defend and try and shut down.

"That's probably been the most challenging thing to get right but I think I'm starting to get pretty comfortable now and hopefully I'll keep improving as the season goes on."

Since starting the year with losses to Glenorchy and Lauderdale, the Blues have won three of their past four to sit a game clear in fourth.

Saturday's home clash with the Southern Bombers comes with the chance for the 3-3 Blues to register a positive win-loss ledger for the first time in Thorp's reign.

"Mitch has been really good and the environment he's created I think is allowing for success," Hodge said.

"It's a very positive environment he's set for us and I think he's got that fine line of when we need to work hard and when we need to enjoy ourselves, and he keeps instilling in us to make sure we have a smile on our face.

"I don't want to shy away from the fact that we are a young side and new, but we want to win and when you start winning games you enjoy it a lot more.

"I think if we keep going the way we're going we'll have a pretty successful year."

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