'For example in 2005, Simon Katich was struggling. So the chances were, if I was to bat, I was going to take his spot in the middle order,' he said.

'And that's the reality. But the reality is that it was only me as a Victorian apart from (Shane) Warne, but we also had five or six, seven or eight New South Welshmen in that squad.

'When you're not high up in the ranks, these people speak volumes about you in training and around the selection table and with the selectors.

'When you've got an opinion of a Brett Lee or a Michael Clarke ... or a Glenn McGrath, their opinion matters most.'

He also said that young players without a regular partner were left isolated when wives and girlfriends arrived, often to their disadvantage in a foreign environment.

'Take Shaun Tait for example,' Hodge said

'Shaun Tait was a young guy in the West Indies ... whilst everyone else had their families and friends over there ... Shaun Tait was left there on his own.'

'Unfortunately for Shaun, he was stuck in his hotel room.''