If Luke Hodge was so inclined he might have sent a cheeky text message to Danny Frawley this week with a big smiley face. And nothing else.

Early in the season Frawley, in his role as a media commentator, suggested Hodge was a liability to the young Lions and should retire immediately.

It wasn’t a comment that had any traction at the Gabba because those on the inside knew totally how valuable the former Hawthorn champion has been since moving to Brisbane this year.

While some Lions supporters and even some insiders were angry, more understood the reality that to be heard in the media, and to maintain a job in the media, it is sometimes necessary for people like Frawley, the former St Kilda champion and Richmond coach, to make outlandish comments.

Hodge has had much worse through his decorated 17-year AFL career and carried on regardless, doing the job he was brought to Brisbane to do by Lions Coach Chris Fagan.

But against the GWS Giants at the Gabba last Saturday, playing his first game as a 34-year-old after a birthday on 15 June, Hodge turned back the clock with a performance more akin to that of a 24-year-old.

Controlling a Lions defence disrupted by the early loss of Harris Andrews, Hodge collected an equal team-high 30 possessions, kicked his first Lions goal and racked up a massive 164 Champion Data ranking points.

Remarkably, the first goal of his AFL career came 16 years ago as a 17-year-old playing his second game for Hawthorn in 2002, and his first 30-possession game for the Hawks came three years later in his 55th game in 2005.

Just for good measure on Saturday, Hodge climbed onto the shoulder of GWS’s Zac Langdon to pull down a hanger and earn a nomination for Mark of the Year.

Then, on Monday when the coaches votes for the match landed, he shared best afield honours with Giants midfielder Josh Kelly, who is more than 11 years his junior.

Fagan and Giants counterpart Leon Cameron, each voting on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, combined to give Hodge and Kelly nine votes each.

Hodge had 23 kicks, 11 marks, seven handballs, four tackles, six rebound 50s, three forward 50 entries, one clearance, two contested marks and eight one-percenters. Kelly had 30 possessions and two goals.

It was all part of a big afternoon for the four-time premiership player, who topped 30 possessions for the 53rd time in his career, and the first time since Round 4 last year.

Since his first 30-possession game in 2005, Hodge has had at least one game of 30+ possessions every year except 2016.

If Fagan and Cameron are any guide, he’ll also add to his 131 career Brownlow votes later in the year, and poll for the 63rd time in his career and the first time since Round 16, 2016.

These are all numbers that put Hodge, the fourth oldest player in the League this year behind Jarrad Waite, Kade Simpson and Gary Ablett Jnr, in extremely rare company.

Only four other Brisbane players have played after their 34th birthday: Roger Merrett, Andrew Bews, Alastair Lynch and Simon Black.

Only 55 players in the entire competition have played beyond their 34th birthday this century. And only 13 of them, including ex-Lions champion Simon Black, have had a 30-possession game beyond that age. Hodge is the second Lions player to do so.

Remarkably, Craig Bradley and Brent Harvey had 30-possession games at 38, Robert Harvey did so at 36, while the last 30-possession game for Gary Ablett Jnr, Black, John Blakey, Matthew Boyd, Corey Enright, Lenny Hayes, James Hird, Hodge, Darren Jarman, Sam Mitchell and Kade Simpson came at 34.

If Hodge was to pick up the three Brownlow Medal votes from last Saturday he would join a similarly exclusive group of players of 15 players to poll a ‘three’ beyond the age of 34.

Incredibly, Craig Bradley polled three votes in his 375th and final game in 2002, when he had a team-high 30 possessions and kicked a goal for Carlton.

Brent Harvey and Robert Harvey each polled their last three-vote rating at 36, Dustin Fletcher, Tony Liberatore and Paul Salmon did so at 35, and ex-Brisbane pair Simon Black and Alastair Lynch did so at 34 along with Shaun Burgoyne, Corey Enright, James Hird, Sam Mitchell, Matthew Richardson, Nick Riewoldt and Jarrad Waite.

Burgoyne and Waite are still playing and theoretically could yet join the 35-year-old three-votes, while Kade Simpson, who will play his 300th game this weekend for Carlton, is every chance to join the 34-year-old three-voters with Hodge.

A more modern indication of just what a special game Hodge played last weekend was his 164 Champion Data ranking points.

It is the equal second highest by a Lions player this year, behind only Mitch Robinson’s 172 ranking points against Sydney at the Gabba in Round 10, when he had 35 possessions (26 contested), 13 clearances, seven tackles and two goal assists.

Dayne Zorko also earned 164 ranking points against Collingwood at the Gabba in Round 7, when he had 34 possessions, four goals and 10 tackles.

Stefan Martin (154 v Port Adelaide in Round 3) and Harris Andrews (152 v Essendon in Round 12) have also topped 150, while Dayne Beams (140 v Sydney in Round 10) is next best from Martin (134 v Sydney in Round 10), Andrews (130 v Gold Coast in Round 5), Beams and Robinson (130 v GWS in Round 6) and Hugh McCluggage (130 v Hawthorn in Round 9).

Only 12 players in the League this year have scored more than Hodge’s 164 points in a game: Jackson Macrae (189), Patrick Cripps (187), Jack Darling (181), Gold Coast’s Tom Lynch (180), Lance Franklin (175), Jake Lloyd (173), Robinson (172), Jeremy Cameron (168), Max Gawn (168), Brendan Parfitt (168), Tom Mitchell (167) and Ben Brown (167).

For the record, the full list of players to play in the AFL this century beyond their 34th birthday have been:  Adelaide: Nigel Smart (35), Mark Bickley (34), Darren Jarman (34), Scott Thompson (34). Brisbane: Alastair Lynch (36), Andrew Bews (34), Simon Black (34), Luke Hodge (34). Carlton: Craig Bradley (38), Anthony Koutoufides (34), Mick Marty (34), Stephen Silvagni (34), Kade Simpson (34). Collingwood: Nathan Buckley (35), Ben Hudson (34), Shane Wakelin (34). Essendon: Dustin Fletcher (40), Palm Salmon (37), James Hird (34). Fremantle: Aaron Sandilands (35), Dale Kickett (34), Shane Parker (34), Matthew Pavlich (34). Geelong: Corey Enright (35), Gary Ablett (34), Darren Milburn (34). GWS: James McDonald (35), Dean Brogan (34), Steve Johnson (34). Hawthorn: Shaun Burgoyne (35), Shane Crawford (34). North Melbourne: Brent Harvey (38), John Blakey (36), Jarrad Waite (35), Glenn Archer (34). Richmond: Matthew Richardson (34). St.Kilda: Robert Harvey (37), Sam Fisher (34), Lenny Hayes (34), Stewart Loewe (34, Nick Riewoldt (34), Andrew Thompson (34). Sydney: Tony Lockett (36), Adam Goodes (35), Andrew Dunkley (34), Peter Everitt (34), West Coast: Sam Mitchell (34), Drew Petrie (34). Western Bulldogs: Tony Liberatore (36), Dale Morris (35), Bob Murphy (35), Matthew Boyd (34), Chris Grant (34), Barry Hall (34), Brad Johnson (34).

Note: Ablett, Burgoyne, Hodge, Simpson, Morris, Sandilands and Waite are still playing.