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Hodgson player of the year

Matt Hodgson has had a remarkable year. Picture: Getty Images

Western Force captain Matt Hodgson won the 2014 Nathan Sharpe Medal as Player of the Year for the third time at the Force gala dinner tonight.

The award caps a remarkable year for the veteran flanker who led his side to their best ever year, just falling short of a maiden finals appearance.

He earned a recall to the Wallabies, topped the Super Rugby competition tackle and turnover count with 234 and 26 respectively and crossed for six tries.

Hodgson, 34, a Force foundation player who won the award in 2009 and 2010 also became the first player to reach 100 Super Rugby matches for the Force.

He took the award, voted on by each member of the match day squad, with 343 points including three man-of-the-match performances against the Chiefs, Cheetahs and Lions.

Hodgson finished ahead of No.8 Ben McCalman (248 votes), second-rower Sam Wykes (181), winger Dane Haylett-Petty (158) and fly-half Sias Ebersohn (144).

In other awards:

  • McCalman and Wykes were joint winners of the Geoffrey Stooke Award, formerly the Force Man Award. The award, newly named after Stooke who was chairman of RugbyWA when they won the Super Rugby franchise, recognises the contribution of players on and off the field.


  • Second-rower Adam Coleman took out the Rising Star award


  • Winger Nick 'The Honey Badger’ Cummins was voted Members’ Most Valuable Player