Four-time premiership Hawk Luke Hodge's return to the footy field over the weekend was anything but smooth, ending up in hospital with a dislocated finger.

Hodge is no stranger to receiving knocks on the footy field, but the 38-year-old recounted his stint with Mornington Peninsula second division side Devon Meadows on SEN’s Whateley, revealing that he spent several hours in the emergency department after he was forced out of the game in the third term.

“It didn’t go to plan,” Hodge said on Monday.

“I went out and played for Devon Meadows against Seaford. In the third quarter I got a high free kick and as I’ve looked down at my hand I thought ‘that doesn’t feel right’ and there was a little bit of bone sticking out of the finger.

“I ended up having a compound dislocated finger.

“I had to leave there at three-quarter time. I did get a few comments over the fence of ‘get a bucket of cement and harden up’, and someone heckled me and said, ‘oh no, he won’t be able to hold his microphone anymore’.

“I went down and had seven hours in emergency at Epworth in Richmond, had an operation and got home about 12:30 that night.

“So it was a fun Saturday, but I still had a ball.

“I went out and trained with them the Thursday before. It took me back to my Colac days. Old school country football. A lot of people turned up, apologies to everyone who got there and I wasn’t able to fulfil the whole game.

“It seemed like a really good day out there. Unfortunately the team lost and I spent a few hours in hospital.”

While the dislocated finger was Hodge's pressing concern, it wasn't the only issue the three-time All Australian encountered.

“They did a longer warm-up than what I did in 18 years of AFL football,” he said.

“We went out for a kick at three-quarter time of the reserves and I thought that’s ok. Then halfway through the last quarter of the reserves we went out to the back paddock and I reckon would have done about five ks in that warm-up, just back and forth, jumps, hops, skips.

“As I’ve ran out I’ve felt a little something in the calf, so I spent the first five minutes of the warm-up out on the ground getting Deep Heat and a thumb through the calf.

“It’s pulled up ok, a little bit sore after the game but nothing too bad. The finger was the biggest issue out of the day.

“You live and learn and hopefully in four to six weeks I can get back playing golf again.”

Hodge's stint at Devon Meadows was only a one-off, but despite the injury, the Hawthorn champion remains keen to give local footy another go.