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

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Contract Status: Retiring at the end of Season 2021
Last Game Played: Round 19, 2021 (omit)
Injury Status: n/a
 
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Call Me Cake said:
Say what you want about his form, but when the team is 30 points down mid-3rd qtr and the rest are feeling flat and we get a sniff, who else's hands would you want the ball to be in?

Exactly.
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Stringer, Tippa, Langford, Snelling, Parish or Jones.

That’s at the moment. I also think he just needs a weekend off to rest.
 
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He stays until we have something close to a commanding forward. Jones is not that guy.

Throw the kitchen sink at King.
 

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DERO said:
He stays until we have something close to a commanding forward. Jones is not that guy.

Throw the kitchen sink at King.
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He stays until the end of the year and then we play a different set up.
If you give Jones space he will be that guy. If he is able to have a decent lead at the footy he will mark it 5 times out of 10.
I would also back Wright to clunk a few more if he was isolated in the goal square.
Hookers trick was contested mark but that has left him at the moment.
I am anti throwing the sink at anyone. We need to not fall into that trap again and stay the course.
 
Old Campaigner said:
Probably because he's crumbing his own dropped mark while getting swarmed by defenders.
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Could be, to my eye he’s just genuinely good below his knees at the moment, there are players that are far more mobile and far younger that are far more useless on the deck because they don’t want it as much as he does.

Might be a candidate for a 1 year deal and if it goes pear shaped or someone comes on faster than expected he rides off into the sunset mid next year and we get an MSD selection.
 
ant555 said:
He stays until the end of the year and then we play a different set up.
If you give Jones space he will be that guy. If he is able to have a decent lead at the footy he will mark it 5 times out of 10.
I would also back Wright to clunk a few more if he was isolated in the goal square.
Hookers trick was contested mark but that has left him at the moment.
I am anti throwing the sink at anyone. We need to not fall into that trap again and stay the course.
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I’d be happier with what you are suggesting if we had other options other than Wright and Jones as our key forwards. Hooker was doing his job as a reasonable stand in but he is wallpaper over the biggest hole in our list.
 
DERO said:
I’d be happier with what you are suggesting if we had other options other than Wright and Jones as our key forwards. Hooker was doing his job as a reasonable stand in but he is wallpaper over the biggest hole in our list.
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Tbh he's only doing a reasonable job when he's kicking 3+ a week to paper over the cracks of his defensive efforts.

Last month or so has been really bad viewing. I feel bad for saying that because he's been such a champion of the club and no doubt bleeds Red and Black, but it can't go on like this. I would much prefer Wright taking Hooker's role.
 
DERO said:
I’d be happier with what you are suggesting if we had other options other than Wright and Jones as our key forwards. Hooker was doing his job as a reasonable stand in but he is wallpaper over the biggest hole in our list.
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And what was our concern looking forward to this season ?
No one was saying Hooker . Jones , well we where hoping for him to maybe play a few games.
Why so down on Jones ? he has shown as much as any young forward this year. He will only get better. At this stage he will kick 24 goals if he keeps getting one a game. He will be better again next year baring injury.
Personally Wright has given exactly what I expected.
Who knows what Archie may produce going forward.
Sure it looks thin but it is July. Right now we have a good young forward. A forward / second ruck who is better than average , Stringer who looks in close to his best form. Who knows what happens before next year starts.
 
ant555 said:
And what was our concern looking forward to this season ?
No one was saying Hooker . Jones , well we where hoping for him to maybe play a few games.
Why so down on Jones ? he has shown as much as any young forward this year. He will only get better. At this stage he will kick 24 goals if he keeps getting one a game. He will be better again next year baring injury.
Personally Wright has given exactly what I expected.
Who knows what Archie may produce going forward.
Sure it looks thin but it is July. Right now we have a good young forward. A forward / second ruck who is better than average , Stringer who looks in close to his best form. Who knows what happens before next year starts.
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I don’t disagree with most of that for what it is worth. I rate Jones but as a hard-working, lead up forward. More of a Hipwood type than a Hawkins type if that makes sense.

To me it looks and feels like we are a strong key forward away from being a realistic challenger. I’d be ok with throwing our picks into the mix to land King if he is an option but it would want to be someone of that caliber or we take them to the draft.

Wathching the last few weeks and I wonder whether a strong marking forward who can kick straight might have got us across the line against Melbourne.
 
DERO said:
I don’t disagree with most of that for what it is worth. I rate Jones but as a hard-working, lead up forward. More of a Hipwood type than a Hawkins type of that makes sense.

To me it looks and feels like we are a strong key forward away from being a realistic challenger. I’d be ok with throwing our picks into the mix to land King if he is an option but it would want to be someone of that caliber or we take them to the draft.

Wathching the last few weeks and I wonder whether a strong marking forward who can kick straight might have got us across the line against Melbourne.
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Not many Hawkins types around. Most are inferior versions. My view is we have to actually improve how we use what we have. Lets face it we are never short of inside 50's just the efficiency has been very poor at times. Poor decisions and poor forward craft has hurt.
 
ant555 said:
Not many Hawkins types around. Most are inferior versions. My view is we have to actually improve how we use what we have. Lets face it we are never short of inside 50's just the efficiency has been very poor at times. Poor decisions and poor forward craft has hurt.
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All that said, it feels like we are getting closer.
 

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Maybe he shouldn't even try and mark it anymore, just give Tippa the "secret nod" and that means Tippa runs past the marking contest and goes goal side and Hooker punches back over his head to Tippa running into an empty goal square and Goal Goal Goal! Well, until the opposition catch on. It might work every now and then :)
Is Hooker allowed to do a "Don't argue" fend off to his opponent with his right arm/hand, while punching the ball on to the goal square running player (Tippa) with his left fist?
 
Is Don Is Good! said:
Maybe he shouldn't even try and mark it anymore, just give Tippa the "secret nod" and that means Tippa runs past the marking contest and goes goal side and Hooker punches back over his head to Tippa running into an empty goal square and Goal Goal Goal! Well, until the opposition catch on. It might work every now and then :)
Is Hooker allowed to do a "Don't argue" fend off to his opponent with his right arm/hand, while punching the ball on to the goal square running player (Tippa) with his left fist?
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Great avatar
 
Is Don Is Good! said:
Maybe he shouldn't even try and mark it anymore, just give Tippa the "secret nod" and that means Tippa runs past the marking contest and goes goal side and Hooker punches back over his head to Tippa running into an empty goal square and Goal Goal Goal! Well, until the opposition catch on. It might work every now and then :)
Is Hooker allowed to do a "Don't argue" fend off to his opponent with his right arm/hand, while punching the ball on to the goal square running player (Tippa) with his left fist?
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Look if you're interested - you might get a gig as the Essendon forwards coach.
 
Zach Package said:
I had to check and refresh this a number of different times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

Number 1 in the AFL for ground ball gets inside 50, leads all comers, all clubs, all positions.

Not sticking marks at the moment but his follow up, his ability to take contact and dish off to try and create something is a good indication he’s still ticking over.
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His marking ability carries over to picking the ball of the deck it’s always one touch and has the strength to just rip the ball from packs as well. Pity he can’t do much with it other than wheeling round for the right foot snap.
 
A large reason why North were allowed to get their chip kick game going is because Hooker is not upto it. I watched him closely and North always were looking to use whoever was on him as their next outlet kick or as a bail out kick.

I think he's well and truly cooked, will probably play every game for the rest of the year but if we make finals I guarantee the opposition exploits him heavily
 

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

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