Hodges can't see why Thaiday has to go

Former Brisbane captain Justin Hodges has questioned Wayne Bennett’s decision to force Sam Thaiday out of the club at the end of next season.

Bennett told News Corp Australia earlier this week that 32-year-old Thaiday’s contract wouldn’t be renewed at the end of 2018, virtually ending what will be his 16-year career with the club.

In that time Thaiday has already played 269 NRL games, having captained the club in 2012 and 2013.

By the time of his departure, he could conceivably reach the 300-game milestone at the club if he remains injury free.

And now Hodges is concerned about the leadership vacuum it might leave at the club.

“I think he is going to be sorely missed and I think he still had a couple of years left in him,” Hodges told Fox League’s Queenslanders Only.

“Just what he does with his leadership off the field and the stuff he does in the locker room around those younger guys – building them up and helping them become the players they want to become.

“My big question is who is going to step in and fill that role. Because it is a massive loss.”

Thaiday and Hodges played 11 seasons together at the club, as well as at State of Origin and Australian Test level.

Thaiday’s minutes have decreased to a career-low 55 on average this season, while he has regularly come off the bench in the past three months.

However Hodges still believed he had a vital on-field role to play at the Broncos as well.

“I think we’re in the crossroads thinking someone else is coming through – no one is going to be better than Sam Thaiday at the moment,”

“I think he’s still got a couple of his best years of football ahead of him.”

The news comes just a month after Thaiday’s Origin career was virtually ended by Kevin Walters, when he was dropped by the Maroons coach of this year’s successful series.

Thaiday didn’t rule out playing on elsewhere in 2018, when quizzed this week.