Collingwood Forever

Ex-Werribee ruckman who showed promise in his debut season in 2004 after a journey that had taken him to Queensland and back via rugby union and basketball. His family had moved from Werribee to Queensland when he was eight. He played other codes apart from the age of 13 to 15. He played for Mt Gravatt in Queensland and then Werribee’s VFL side nabbed him.

Although raw in some respects, he showed he was a willing worker and although he often spent long periods on the bench he displayed enough talent to signpost a bright future.

He was making huge progress when he injured a knee late in 2005 and required a reconstruction. Hudson returned to SANFL football late in 2006 but wasn’t able to make the Crows’ team. But in four years at Adelaide he was a hard as nails ruckman playing basic effective football. But Neil Craig’s hard-line methods wore thin with Hudson and that led to his departure to the Bulldogs.

In 2008 his hard-working style was a perfect mix with the club’s talented midfield. The big-hearted ruckman came sixth in the club’s 2010 best and fairest. He moved to the Brisbane Lions in 2012 and then was a surprise rookie listed player at Collingwood in 2013, giving the Magpies great service as a back-up in a number of games and providing mentoring to young ruckmen Jarrod Witts and Brodie Grundy.