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

 

[The Donners]

Nice one Hooksy.

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I’m not saying Hooker was terrible but a forward who kicked 1 goal and had no goal assists was in the team’s best players? Guelfi kicked a goal and had 3 goal assists so had a hand in 4 (out of 13 goals), only Stringer had as many goal involvements.

 

[Ati Tude]

Article on AFL website re it being uncertain if Chook will go around again

Hooker's future unclear, Bombers face 'big decision'

Ben Rutten says Essendon remains undecided if Cale Hooker will play on in 2022

www.afl.com.au

 

[babydoll]

Depending on how confident Truck is with our list, a one year re-sign at lower cost and expectation that he will support as required, i.e. not a guarantee start, maybe enough for most of us to consider a good outcome.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Wouldn’t be too keen on going into 2022 without a replacement. We’re not exactly flush with key forwards and we’re always good at piling up on injuries.

We don’t need million dollar blokes. Chase Riccardi, hard.

 

[eth-dog]

Cooked. We have a bloke at Full Back who can play forward if we're super desperate.

 

[andleanback]

I don’t think it’s even a discussion, he goes around again. Hasn’t missed a game this year yet, only need him to play 10-15 next year, if required.

 

[Lore]

If we get a mature KPF in, he retires, if not, he goes around again. Seems reasonably straight forward I think...

 

[Seb78]

Done for mine sadly . No point in milking it any further, would be good for him to bow out now rather than a year too late.

AA defender to serviceable forward. Great career overall. Time to move on admirably.

Jones
Wright
Baldwin
Eyre (potentially)

Maybe get in a Riccardi/Weiderman type. I think we'll be ok. As Eth said in an earlier post we have Stewart if we're desperate, also Ambrose. Cox will get bigger and stronger with every pre season and could also be an option.

 

[Mr Bultitude]

 

[andleanback]

Done for mine sadly . No point in milking it any further, would be good for him to bow out now rather than a year too late.

AA defender to serviceable forward. Great career overall. Time to move on admirably.

Jones
Wright
Baldwin
Eyre (potentially)

Maybe get in a Riccardi/Weiderman type. I think we'll be ok. As Eth said in an earlier post we have Stewart if we're desperate, also Ambrose. Cox will get bigger and stronger with every pre season and could also be an option.

Ambrose is 5 times more cooked that hooker, he won’t be on the list next year. So if Wright we down next year we have Jones, Eyre and Baldwin trying to carry the forward line (if we don’t manage to pick up someone suitable during trade we).

 

[Seb78]

Ambrose is 5 times more cooked that hooker, he won’t be on the list next year. So if Wright we down next year we have Jones, Eyre and Baldwin trying to carry the forward line (if we don’t manage to pick up someone suitable during trade we).

A lot of hindsight and what ifs there. I mean in that case we'd be screwed either way. Not sure Hooker will make a huge difference even in the worst case scenario tbh.

 

[andleanback]

A lot of hindsight and what ifs there. I mean in that case we'd be screwed either way. Not sure Hooker will make a huge difference even in the worst case scenario tbh.

Not really? If hooker goes, on current squad we’d be relying on Wright to carry the forward line. With not much support available if he went down. Just have to look how much it’s helped Oscar Allen’s development being the 3rd target while his body matures.

 

[Seb78]

Not really? If hooker goes, on current squad we’d be relying on Wright to carry the forward line. With not much support available if he went down. Just have to look how much it’s helped Oscar Allen’s development being the 3rd target while his body matures.

Yeh not sold personally. I'm not big on the whole having a player there just for support purposes or in a "decoy" role. Just screams waste of a spot to me. He would need to be impactful. Unfortunately for Hooksey when the ball hits the turf he becomes a serious liability. I mean if we were top 4 and a serious premiership contender I could potentially see a case for him as a stop gap, but even then I'd be thinking twice about it. Just my opinon.

 

[naraku]

If Hurley is 100% next season, wouldn't we send Stewart forward ? It's not ideal but if we don't get Riccardi/Chol etc Stewart forward is an option.

I'd like Hooker to stay, but last month or so we can see just how done he is.

 

[andleanback]

Yeh not sold personally. I'm not big on the whole having a player there just for support purposes or in a "decoy" role. Just screams waste of a spot to me. He would need to be impactful. Unfortunately for Hooksey when the ball hits the turf he becomes a serious liability. I mean if we were top 4 and a serious premiership contender I could potentially see a case for him as a stop gap, but even then I'd be thinking twice about it. Just my opinon.

Decoy role? He’s taken the best defender this year and kicked 32.22, that’s hardly a waste of a spot in the forward line. He deserves a place on the list next year and it’d be on minimal money.

 

[andleanback]

If Hurley is 100% next season, wouldn't we send Stewart forward ? It's not ideal but if we don't get Riccardi/Chol etc Stewart forward is an option.

I'd like Hooker to stay, but last month or so we can see just how done he is.

Hurley struggled last year, 12 months out with an infection. You think he’s still got the ability to play on the Hawkins, naughtons, kings of the world. He’s undersized as it is, and has almost zero strength in the contest.

 

[Seb78]

Decoy role? He’s taken the best defender this year and kicked 32.22, that’s hardly a waste of a spot in the forward line. He deserves a place on the list next year and it’d be on minimal money.

Had a great start to the season no doubt, although has clearly tapered off. I just think due to his age and decreasing mobility and the fact he can barely get out of a jog, I just don't think he's going to add much value moving forward. Hey, if ge does get another year good on him. Like I mentioned in my first post great career and clubman, I just don't think another year is the way to go.

 

[Beerfish]

Happy for him to go on for one more or come home and play for the sharks.

 

[Mercurial89]

I'd like him to continue.

Proviso is they manage his body better and that we don't try to get him to play every week.

Get 15 games out of him,both protecting the kids and then when he is out giving young guys opportunities to be the man.

He's not holding anyone out of the team and he's protecting the young guys, until that's not the case he should be welcomed.

Though if he is done I'd be tapping Peter on the shoulder and saying he can be the main guy instead of trying to find someone to be.
Can use Hurley aswell but I'd be putting everyone on 2MP, reckon it could be the making of him.

 

[Ambrosia]

Ambrose is 5 times more cooked that hooker, he won’t be on the list next year. So if Wright we down next year we have Jones, Eyre and Baldwin trying to carry the forward line (if we don’t manage to pick up someone suitable during trade we).

Don’t really see Ambrose as cooked he just isn’t worth playing given where the list is at and doesn’t have the same standing at the club Hurley and Hooker.

For mine Hurley plays forward next year and Hooker retires but I can see why others want to retain Hooksy.

 

[wichidi]

Ambrose for me always looks like he lacks explosive pace - a plodder. Mind you, one that can crack out an amazing 2KM time trial, but just can't accelerate fast enough to have any impact at times.

On a separate note, just watched the replay of the 4th qtr against Norf. Want to see some vintage Chook? Watch his mark at 45M before he slots the long bomb. After he takes the mark, gets up and takes at least an extra 1M forward and marks the ground. Umpire falls for it, chook gets an extra metre for his kick which probably made the difference between goal/no goal. Nice little moment that made me chuckle, commentators completely missed it.

 

[EnolaGay]

He should get one more season and hopefully only need to play 12-14 games in the AFL side.

 

[Don35]

A cooked liability. Thanks for the service. Shouldn’t be playing now. Between Francis, Hurley Stewart, Laverde, Jones, stringer, Wright and potentially one of the youngsters, draftees or trade ins, we should have plenty of options to replace him.

 

[Runk]

I'd give him another year. Not play him in any interstate games. Obviously with Covid around that'd mean he'd never play so he should be fresh once we all come out of Lockdown 11.0

 

[ant555]

Not really? If hooker goes, on current squad we’d be relying on Wright to carry the forward line. With not much support available if he went down. Just have to look how much it’s helped Oscar Allen’s development being the 3rd target while his body matures.

Have not passed the FA/trade period yet. Anything could happen.
How many thought Harry was going to play 15 odd games and help out the forward line like he did. We are not in the premiership window. Who says Harry may not get better , Wright keeps doing what he does and maybe Nick Bryan steps up so we can use one of the resting rucks as the deep forward for a short period. Or maybe we go with a slightly different set up that allows Harry to do a lot of lead up work.
Hooker has gone backwards in the last 6 weeks. We will not miss what he is currently giving us. In fact I would have more confidence with just Jones and Wright and playing two rucks.