“You do feel for them”: Why Hodge is sympathising with the Magpies

Hawthorn great Luke Hodge is feeling sorry for Collingwood after scans revealed Jordan De Goey would miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.

The two-time Norm Smith Medallist was full of praise for the Magpies after their three-point win against Carlton, but he admitted the loss of De Goey was a crucial blow to their premiership defence.

“I know a lot of teams have injuries this time of year, but when Collingwood have looked like taking that next step, they’ve lost someone,” Hodge told SEN’s Sportsday.

“They’ve played probably half the season with no forward line, and then they get their forwards back, they start to look pretty good, and all of a sudden one of your x-factor (players) who you need to win big finals is out for the rest of the year.

“You do feel for them, because as soon as they get a bit of a spark, something like that happens, and they get flattened again.”

Multiple injuries have restricted De Goey to 13 games in 2024, and the Pies' midfield was dealt another blow with Tom Mitchell being ruled out for the season with a foot issue on Monday.

Collingwood will face the Swans at the SCG on Friday night in a bid to keep their finals hopes alive.