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

 

[crackers65]

He’s old and slow but still good enough for another year was very good early, obviously could do with a rest and the amount of travelling this year couldn’t of helped

And he’s going to be older and slower next year. Father time always wins. I missed the bad body language but that is usually a frustration thing.
I really hope he hangs the boots up. He’s had a great career, but I feel it’s time.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Hooker, one more year? Please. Hooker one more week should be the question.

 

[rumply]

You got me super intrigued cos i didn't see anything live.

Its about 52 minutes into the kayo stream. 6 mins to go before half time.

I get him calling for it. He was unmanned in the square. But the whole body slump after not getting it passed to him as a goal sails over his head was poor I agree.
I think i agree with you if he's doing that sort of thing frequently.

There's calling for it then there's being a dick, he was being the later.

Basically Heppell is coming in to shoot for goal, Hooker is standing in goal square, legs spread waving arms, Hepp kicks goal, Hooker wanders off with his head down.

There's vision of it all from directly behind Heppell which I can't find, I'm not out to hang the guy for it but it looked bad & we are a young team, so stow that shit.

 

[Molian]

There's calling for it then there's being a dick, he was being the later.

Basically Heppell is coming in to shoot for goal, Hooker is standing in goal square, legs spread waving arms, Hepp kicks goal, Hooker wanders off with his head down.

There's vision of it all from directly behind Heppell which I can't find, I'm not out to hang the guy for it but it looked bad & we are a young team, so stow that sh*t.

I don't disagree. Particularly as we are a young team. Looked shit and selfish.
I just didn't mind so much him calling for it in the square. But he should have clapped it through rather than slump and sook once the kick had been taken. Thats when dick mode fully activated.

If you have kayo 52mins and 28 seconds into the video is the shot you're referring to i believe.

 

[TheGrizz]

Whether Chook goes one more year or not is completely up to him, for mine.

His positional/Structural importance far outweighs his 'lack' of production, even though he is still our leading goalkicker this year....

 

[Chief Hopper]

Hooker should get another year, he still getting many goals or assists in them.

He has slowed down compared to the start of the year, but he's an older player so it makes sense.
I do wonder though, if he was to managed and started later in the year he would've been fresher and have more impact now.

 

[Summer Nights]

Give him until the end of the year before making a call.

 

[jmoo wan]

If you have kayo 52mins and 28 seconds into the video is the shot you're referring to i believe.

oh dear - that looked bad. Very petulant and not even celebrating or getting around the skipper. Heppel was never, ever going to do anything but kick that goal!

 

[bennyg12]

go again big fella

 

[Vander18]

Maybe it could be a small step backwards but personally I would rather look forward. We would need a massive step up to be a serious contender anyway.
There could even be the situation where Reid comes on well enough for Stewart to resume forward duties at some stage next season. As much as I have been a fan of Hooker over the journey I think his time has come and we would be wasting time using him as a stop gap for another year.
We may even find the forward line can function better with an extra small forward.

I haven’t really seen him play but from a purely physical standpoint Brand is one who could be ready sooner than later. Has a massive frame that will fill out easily and could be at 95kg by start of next season. Might be able to give us that big body to handle the gorillas.

Same outcome - allows us to move Stewart forward and Hooksy out to stud….which I suspect we will look at.

 

[Vander18]

Hooker, one more year? Please. Hooker one more week should be the question.

I love Hooksy more than anyone on the list….but have to agree.

 

[eth-dog]

I haven’t really seen him play but from a purely physical standpoint Brand is one who could be ready sooner than later. Has a massive frame that will fill out easily and could be at 95kg by start of next season. Might be able to give us that big body to handle the gorillas.

Same outcome - allows us to move Stewart forward and Hooksy out to stud….which I suspect we will look at.

Brand doesn't look close IMO

 

[Vander18]

Brand doesn't look close IMO

Fair enough.

But he’ll develop into a physical beast so always the potential he surprises.

 

[windyhill]

Fair enough.

But he’ll develop into a physical beast so always the potential he surprises.

Courtney Johns likes this.

 

[Albertross]

I would love for Chook to go around again. That's probably my man crush talking though. Thought he was done last year tbh, but his presence has had a huge impact with the development of Jones.

I can logically see both sides of the coin here, he's cooked, yet I think he still has something to offer, just not over a full season.

If time is up, I hope it is Chook that makes that call himself, not the club. Sad thing is, his body will give him troubles for the rest of his life potentially.

Love ya Chook. Will be a sad day when you call time.

 

[fairbump_playon]

what about Wayne? you a fan of Wayne King?

Yes.

 

[Don Won]

Hookers fate will lie with how confident the coaches are in Brand, Eyre, McBride or Baldwin being able to step up if required. We could play without a third tall but if Jones/Wright got injured we’d have to start spinning magnets if these guys are not up to standard.

The cupboard looks pretty bare from the limited exposure our developing talls have had in VFL (but I might have said the same of Jones last year, so coaches might know what we’ve got).

Anyway the first choice is with Hooker, he might have had enough if he’s got to the point where his frustration is boiling over onto his teammates.

 

[ghostdog]

I haven’t really seen him play but from a purely physical standpoint Brand is one who could be ready sooner than later. Has a massive frame that will fill out easily and could be at 95kg by start of next season. Might be able to give us that big body to handle the gorillas.

Same outcome - allows us to move Stewart forward and Hooksy out to stud….which I suspect we will look at.

Of Eyre and Brand, is not Brand the one who is a defender and a long way off in terms of both fitness and skills? Maybe you mean Eyre?

 

[ghostdog]

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

Throw the kitchen sink at King.

If he stays he's depth in the twos. Wright should take his place until we're wiser about Eyre, McBride and Baldwin, then we know whether to throw the kitchen sink at Ben King. If we get King in, by the midpoint of the 2023 season we've got perhaps 50+ games into Cox and Perkins, and some experience into Zach Reid.

 

[eth-dog]

Of Eyre and Brand, is not Brand the one who is a defender and a long way off in terms of both fitness and skills? Maybe you mean Eyre?

He means that Brand will become the defender we need to push Stewart forward again (which I agree with, he's not a great defender)

 

[Vander18]

Of Eyre and Brand, is not Brand the one who is a defender and a long way off in terms of both fitness and skills? Maybe you mean Eyre?

No, I mean Brand.

He’s a bigger body than Eyre and will be physically ready pretty quickly.

As I said in initial post I don’t really know much about his ability to actually play.

 

[ghostdog]

Ant raised the possibility of a better functioning forwardline that's a bit smaller next year. I know he's only played one game, but it was impressive; Durham and Cox on the wings, and (the old chestnut) of Langers forward might be worth looking at, or even a wing - hf rotation of Langers and Cox... Cox and Jones could be awesome.

 

[eth-dog]

- Langford dominates a wing for 2 years
- The same crew says "bUt hE's a FoRwARd!!!1"

 

[ghostdog]

- Langford dominates a wing for 2 years
- The same crew says "bUt hE's a FoRwARd!!!1"

Don't oversimplify. It makes you sound silly.

I said, if we go with a smaller forwardline next year, he could be a piece.

 

[ghostdog]

Playing Career (up to end of 2011 season):

Essendon Football Club (2008 - )

• 49 games, 5 goals

Height:196cm
Weight: 97kg

• Pick #54, 2007 National Draft, from East Fremantle (WAFL)

Don't know anything about this guy except that he's fast.

How good is the last sentence 14 years on!? I actually didn't know he was fast as a young buck.