AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL
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WAGGA Tigers has lured talented forward James Hodges back to Robertson Oval to give the club its first signing of the off-season.
Hodges spent last season with Hume League club Holbrook where he kicked 32 goals from 19 appearances, and was part of the Brookers' grand final loss to Brocklesby-Burrumbuttock.
A couple of clubs were chasing the services of Hodges for next season but it was Tigers that won the race for his signature.
Wagga Tigers captain-coach Matt Rava said it was an important signing to kick off the club's recruitment campaign.
"It's going to take a bit of pressure off the really young blokes up there," Rava said.
"It's going to add a couple of years experience to the forward-line even though Hodgey is only still young himself."
Hodges will give Tigers another forward option, something it struggled for at times this season when young guns Max King and Dougal Howard were unavailable.
Tigers will now have Hodges and Xavier Brennan as key forward options but hope to add to that in coming weeks.
Rava's plan is to rotate his forward line as much as possible.
"Hodgey will go in a rotation with a couple of other blokes that are there already," Rava said.
"He can rotate through full-forward and centre-half-forward, or even a forward flank might be the best spot for him.
"Even to get him on the second or third backman, rather than the key."
Tigers hope to add to the key position stocks in coming weeks.
"We're talking to a utility this weekend that will hopefully give us a few more options," Rava said.
"We've still got a couple of irons in the fire and talking to blokes."
Tigers made it to the second week of finals this year before it was knocked out by Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong in the first semi-final.
The club has lost experienced players Tom Power, John Simpson and Jackson Kew, along with Max King to Melbourne, but has started to off-set the losses by the signing of James Hodges.
It has been a relatively quiet off-season in the Riverina Football League with few clubs being able to make ground on their list.