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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cobra land said:
I think Francis was amongst the goals today in the VFL, maybe see how he goes down forward for the remainder of the year ?
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He kicked 1
 

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MiguelM said:
He was slightly better tonight but still a liability if he can't nail his shots in front of goal. Teams run off him too easily.

Need to find a replacement IMO.
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ive been thinking its the priority for a bit now
but a long overdue reminder today was the need to get some size into the midfield.

Admittedly missing Langford, McGrath & Caldwell...and first run for Shiel.
But still.

Thinking before the season is out, it would be good if we could trial Wright, Jones & Bryan/Draper along with Waterman, Stringer & Tippa as a fwd line.
Could give us some insight into Wright as new Hooker. Even sans Jones, perhaps we give it crack.
 
cobra land said:
Anyone wanting Hooker to play another season just watch how easily GWS took it out of their defence, he provides no pressure whatsoever..
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How is that on Hooker? Defence is a team game.

Throughout the year when we’ve locked down well and really restricted opposition movement, did you praise Hooker for that?

So how is it his fault now?

Let’s not be stupid about things. Hooker isn’t to blame for lapses in defensive structure. He’s been playing the same role all year and doing so reasonably effectively. He has his limitations, so do plenty of players. He’s not chasing flankers out of defence, but he’s in his spot in the structure, and his competence in front of goal means an opponent can’t stray too far from him.

Its been a better year than most of us expected but after the disastrous fixturing situation, we might just have to deal with the possibility that the season is catching up with our mob. That’s two pretty flat performances and we’re a very young side.
 
Bunk Moreland said:
How is that on Hooker? Defence is a team game.

Throughout the year when we’ve locked down well and really restricted opposition movement, did you praise Hooker for that?
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Hooker is clearly not a part of this defence. It was everyone around him working hard. Now they’re stuffed.
 
Bunk Moreland said:
How is that on Hooker? Defence is a team game.

Throughout the year when we’ve locked down well and really restricted opposition movement, did you praise Hooker for that?

So how is it his fault now?

Let’s not be stupid about things. Hooker isn’t to blame for lapses in defensive structure. He’s been playing the same role all year and doing so reasonably effectively. He has his limitations, so do plenty of players. He’s not chasing flankers out of defence, but he’s in his spot in the structure, and his competence in front of goal means an opponent can’t stray too far from him.

Its been a better year than most of us expected but after the disastrous fixturing situation, we might just have to deal with the possibility that the season is catching up with our mob. That’s two pretty flat performances and we’re a very young side.
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He does give us structure but he hasn't the mobility any more. Wright would still provide structure and mitigate the loss od mobility. I think that's the raw equation.
 
Bunk Moreland said:
How is that on Hooker? Defence is a team game.

Throughout the year when we’ve locked down well and really restricted opposition movement, did you praise Hooker for that?

So how is it his fault now?

Let’s not be stupid about things. Hooker isn’t to blame for lapses in defensive structure. He’s been playing the same role all year and doing so reasonably effectively. He has his limitations, so do plenty of players. He’s not chasing flankers out of defence, but he’s in his spot in the structure, and his competence in front of goal means an opponent can’t stray too far from him.

Its been a better year than most of us expected but after the disastrous fixturing situation, we might just have to deal with the possibility that the season is catching up with our mob. That’s two pretty flat performances and we’re a very young side.
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You are right defence is a team game and he's part of the team is he not ? I didn't say it was all on him but he is so slow now that he doesn't even compete at times because he just can't get to the contest.
Also I am a Hooker fan and always have been but I make these comments using my head not my heart.
 
cobra land said:
You are right defence is a team game and he's part of the team is he not ? I didn't say it was all on him but he is so slow now that he doesn't even compete at times because he just can't get to the contest.
Also I am a Hooker fan and always have been but I make these comments using my head not my heart.
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Im not against him retiring, but I do think we need somebody to come in and play his role (deep forward) as our forward line has worked reasonably well and the ability to have a (at worst) 50/50 contest at the top of the square is important. If we can get the ball in quickly, even just to a stoppage, it gives us the chance to lock the opposition in our forward line.

Lynch does it at Richmond… that would be nice. I don’t think Wright is it, he isn’t a contested beast and I think we have his role right, he spends a fair bit of time up the ground and in the ruck.

I don’t think we can rely on Hurley, he would be a bonus. It doesn’t seem like Baldwin or McBride are it, at least not yet, remembering Hooker has played every game this year. I’d be happy to bring somebody in, see if we can find an under-utilised bargain elsewhere, like we did with Wright. I always raise Riccardi but there’s probably others.
 

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cobra land said:
I respect your opinion Zach but I think he provides no pressure out of our fwd line and the worst part of his game for me at the moment is how many contests he just doesn't make allowing the opposition an uncontested mark ?
Misses too many set shots for my liking also.
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That’s fine except for the part where you are definitely seeing what you want to see, it’s on the ground level players to stop the ball when it’s brought to ground and they did not do that yesterday, it was a very low intercept game yesterday which is an indicator that Hooker was not the problem.

I’m all for a young, vivacious replacement like Ben King though, he probably averages....far less pressure acts and tackles per game :/

Side note, so does Jones, so does Wright.
 
Oh Hooker's forward defensive pressure is non-existent haha. Surely no-one can debate that?
And yes, even when it was going well earlier in the year, that was in spite of him.

I love Hooker, and he was better last night (playing on 64-year-old Phil Davis will do that to a guy) but if you want to play a pressure-style forward line, I don't think you can have him there.

Without pinning hopes on him, as who knows if he can even ever play again, I'm intrigued by trying Hurley in that role next year for that reason.
A far inferior contested mark, but far more mobile. And Wright + a year older Jones are still down there as targets.
 
Not sold on him going around again, but anyone suggesting Hurley play that gorilla KPF - well, let’s just say, Jones will not be getting the third best defender in 2022.
 
Should only be a break glass option in 2022 - could we put him on the SUP list? I wouldn’t mind seeing James Stewart played forward again - averaged 1.5 goals a game in 2017 - 2018, has the physical attributes to play in that stay at home KPF role Hooker currently does, is much more mobile and his confidence will be up after a solid year down back this year


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

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