Good Sports: Joshua Hodgson

Standing in front of a goal and having hockey balls whacked at you time and time again is not appealing. But there are some players out there who choose to take up the chance to be goalkeeper. Why? Who knows, but it does not look appealing most of the time. With the club hockey season having wound down, Springfield premier goalkeeper Joshua Hodgson took some time to explain to sports editor Cameron Leslie just why someone would want to be a goalie. Does Josh's reasoning do anything to convince you to throw on the goalie gear?

How many years have you been a goalie, and what drew you to taking up the position? I would not think it would be the most popular position.

I've been a goalie for 10 years. I started playing goalie because I played soccer and enjoyed the defensive side of the game, stopping the good players.

What are you thinking when a ball is cracked at you? What is the first thought when you save a goal, or miss one?

The team either loves you when you save heaps, but then there is the disappointment of not stopping the one that counts. But, that's what happens when you are that last man in defence. And, part of being that last man is getting used to getting hit at by everyone, it takes some confidence building but you get used to it.

Having played hockey over a number of years and for a variety of teams, is there any team or player who strikes the ball incredibly hard? Is it hard to tell the speed of a ball? Is there any one Northlander who you have had a hard time following their shots?

There's a few premier players that can hit a ball, but most of the time it's the ones that catch you off guard like the bouncing topped [spinning] balls that someone has miss hit.

People often blame goalies for when a goal is scored, what's your view on it?

It sucks having that on your shoulders. But it's that whole thing of you are part of the team and at the end of the day it [the opposition] has to go through them first.

If there was a new player looking at picking up goal-keeping, what would you say to them?

It's a great position to play. You can still be a field player and train hard to get the basics like balance and co-ordination. And, have fun.