Retired #26: Cale Hooker - Has announced his retirement at season's end 🍷

[Lore]

Contract Status: Retiring at the end of Season 2021
Last Game Played: Round 19, 2021 (omit)
Injury Status: n/a

 

[raskolnikov]

We're not making finals. Deserves to play the year out.

 

[Donakebab]

Absolute cookedness aside, he needs to stop berating teammates when they ignore him. Standing still and waving your arms while surrounded by opposition players does not make you a valid option.

 

[Howard Moon]

Absolute cookedness aside, he needs to stop berating teammates when they ignore him. Standing still and waving your arms while surrounded by opposition players does not make you a valid option.

Last remnant of the old guard

 

[carnthedons]

Yeah he looks completely done but I still loved that brutal don’t argue before the Parish goal, made Lachy Henderson look like a 10yo in the game you play against the dads

 

[ant555]

Absolute cookedness aside, he needs to stop berating teammates when they ignore him. Standing still and waving your arms while surrounded by opposition players does not make you a valid option.

Taken over the Daniher role.

 

[Eleven 38]

He obviously never really had pacd, but being able to take those contested grabs up forward negated it, but hes double grabbing everything now, i think he should play a few more games, but id also like to see the forward line with Wright and Jones without hooker in the way.

 

[fishardansin]

I love Mr Hooker for the passion he has given the club and being the first to re-sign in 2016. However, he does look cooked now and it is hurting us. Having said that the delivery inside 50 isn't his fault.

I'd still like to see him come out of the side for Phillips. Wright as CHF, Jones leading from the goal square and Draper and Phillips swapping between ruck and deep forward.

 

[Mikevk123]

What a bloody champion he’s been for us though. Love ya Hooksy mate. He’s cooked but he’s been an absolute barometer for us over the years. Both Hurley and him.

 

[Don35]

A crazy thought but maybe when he can’t touch the ball in the fwd line it would be an idea to swing him back. Particularly when out bloke at the other end is getting towelled up and has the ability to play fwd and kick goals.

 

[DERO]

A crazy thought but maybe when he can’t touch the ball in the fwd line it would be an idea to swing him back. Particularly when out bloke at the other end is getting towelled up and has the ability to play fwd and kick goals.

I think up forward he is at least taking a big defender and will hopefully help bring the ball to ground. He'll get chopped up down back due to his lack of pace I reckon.

 

[Don35]

I think up forward he is at least taking a big defender and will hopefully help bring the ball to ground. He'll get chopped up down back due to his lack of pace I reckon.

agree he’s a liability. Would have been worth throwing Stewart or Laverde fowrward who at least might have presented to the ball in fwd line and given them something to think about. How many times can we kick it 25 meters out directly in front of goal and have nobody there to at least bring it to ground.

 

[wichidi]

Barring something unexpected, this is probably Chook's last year. He has given so much for the club, what a warrior.
I reckon he will play this week, then be given a rest against Norf where his absence will be felt the least.
Sure he can barely run at the moment, but he is still taking a key defender which makes it easier for Jones = better development.
The club probably wants to also do right by him and give him the chance to play every match he can before retirement.

A random thought: if you're Hurley, do you come back next year? Perhaps he could slot into Chook's position but I wonder if his body could hold up. A year off could go either way: rest and recuperation to get rid of the niggles and come back strong, or maybe now the thought of another pre-season when it could be past him might be too much. Would be a shame to never see him play again.

 

[boncer34]

I think up forward he is at least taking a big defender and will hopefully help bring the ball to ground. He'll get chopped up down back due to his lack of pace I reckon.

I agree with this sentiment in principle, he's certainly done it early in the season, but I wonder how much it still holds true on the field. The last 2 games at least he's not really bought the ball to ground and his direct opponent seems to be the one intercepting the majority of our forward movements.

 

[DERO]

I agree with this sentiment in principle, he's certainly done it early in the season, but I wonder how much it still holds true on the field. The last 2 games at least he's not really bought the ball to ground and his direct opponent seems to be the one intercepting the majority of our forward movements.

May gave him a bath but he is probably the best going around right now so I can cut him some slack but against Geelong he looked bad. He’d want to snag a few this week I think.

 

[boncer34]

May gave him a bath but he is probably the best going around right now so I can cut him some slack but against Geelong he looked bad. He’d want to snag a few this week I think.

If Butts or Murray get a hold of him it's probably curtains.

 

[Summer Nights]

It’s hard seeing him try his guts out and not get the reward he’s after. I really hope he finds another wind and finishes on a high, whether it’s this year or next.

 

[ant555]

What I do not get is the call for him to go back to defense. Robbo mentions it in his over rated opinion piece today asking why we did not move Stewart forward. Pretty easy to work out. Hooker going back is the past. Stewart may have had a couple of games where he has had issues but moving forward he keeps playing back. The more experience we get into him as a defender leaves us stronger in the future as he should be decent at both ends.
Hooker may be cooked but he either plays out the season as a forward in the AFL or VFL. No going back.

 

[Bjchan13]

He can barely run or jump. Heart as strong as ever but his body is obviously completely cooked. He can't play in defence ever again as he wouldn't be able to keep up with oppo forwards. If he can't bounce back with a few 2-4 goal hauls over the next few weeks i think he'll probably struggle to see the year out. Truck will not be afraid to drop him. I can see him digging deep and pulling out a few more efforts forward though. I hope he can anyway.

 

[ghostdog]

It was ordinary delivery but May also exposed his pace a few times by simply running past him and he does not lead. Stands and waves his arms a lot and gets swamped. He commands the number one spot in the forward line when he shouldn't in games like tonight. When he was on the Bench and 2MP was the FF 2MP marked and kicked a goal and crumbed a goal.
He is trying his guts out and keeps working but his total lack of speed is burning us on several levels when he can not get a decent match up. The amount of times they run off him in a game means he has to be kicking 3 plus goals every week.

Yes. Thank you.

 

[Vindicater]

If he does go around next year he needs to be rested regularly qnd brought in against specific teams he has the right matchup for.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

If he does go around next year he needs to be rested regularly qnd brought in against specific teams he has the right matchup for.

Sounds like the type of maintenance and upkeep required to keep a Model T running.

 

[fairbump_playon]

He did so much off season work to wring the last bit out of the body

Was fresh enough to have a great impact across the first two months.

Needed 3 weeks off in mid season at a yoga retreat.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

If he does go around next year he needs to be rested regularly qnd brought in against specific teams he has the right matchup for.

Port Melbourne, Williamstown, Coburg?

 

[Duckworth]

I watch him get to his feet sometimes. Arms braced on his knees for support, making a groan at the strenuous effort required. This would be his last year.

 

[Towno78]

What I do not get is the call for him to go back to defense. Robbo mentions it in his over rated opinion piece today asking why we did not move Stewart forward. Pretty easy to work out. Hooker going back is the past. Stewart may have had a couple of games where he has had issues but moving forward he keeps playing back. The more experience we get into him as a defender leaves us stronger in the future as he should be decent at both ends.
Hooker may be cooked but he either plays out the season as a forward in the AFL or VFL. No going back.

It seems blatantly obvious from R1 that Truck has decided to find out who his back 6/7 is going to be moving forwards, what skillset he wants those players to have, and it is irrelevant who has played there in the past.