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

[Runk]

I'd say hes about 33/1 to play round 1 - Isn't even with the main training group yet so will be a long way behind.Besides - he's too important to risk given his versatility and ability to play as a key forward

33/1?

Is that SportsBet or Ladbrokes?

 

[Marley10]

So it sounds like it's back to defence for Hooker according to Worsfold on trade radio.

It's probably for the best. He is clearly a better defender than forward. Worried about who partners Joe though.

McKernan?

 

[loopy_cam]

McKernan?

Maybe. I personally think he's not good enough though. I'd be hoping we can get a ruck and have Bellchambers forward 75-80%. Then recruit a VFL key forward and use him and McKernan as back-up. That's assuming no AFL level key forwards want to switch clubs.

 

[Marley10]

Maybe. I personally think he's not good enough though. I'd be hoping we can get a ruck and have Bellchambers forward 75-80%. Then recruit a VFL key forward and use him and McKernan as back-up. That's assuming no AFL level key forwards want to switch clubs.

Liam McBean is a good option. Doubt Richmond would let him go that easily

 

[yaco55]

Maybe. I personally think he's not good enough though. I'd be hoping we can get a ruck and have Bellchambers forward 75-80%. Then recruit a VFL key forward and use him and McKernan as back-up. That's assuming no AFL level key forwards want to switch clubs.

What an awful forward line - Unless JD jumps out of the ground this is a VFL forward line.

 

[yaco55]

Liam McBean is a good option. Doubt Richmond would let him go that easily

There is a reason why players like Mcbean or Grimley have played little or No AFL footy in 3+ years. But let's bring them to Essendon.

 

[Howard Moon]

woosha will have a plan - find the next ash hansen - win a flag.

 

[daffo]

Very happy to hear Hooker will go back. It's where he needs to be.

 

[loopy_cam]

What an awful forward line - Unless JD jumps out of the ground this is a VFL forward line.

How many forward lines have two stars in the key posts? It's usually one good tall and another just providing a target.

 

[Vindicater]

Hooker back is the right move.

Our forward line looked good with him up there but our defense went to absolute shit.

McKernan with Langford and Edwards as other marking targets will look good next to Daniher.

Hopefully we just move the ball faster next year as well. Half our problems last year came from the fact we looked to go sideways before going forward nearly every time.

 

[eth-dog]

How many forward lines have two stars in the key posts? It's usually one good tall and another just providing a target.

Sydney, Hawthorn, Adelaide (yes, I count JJ) spring to mind.

 

[loopy_cam]

Sydney, Hawthorn, Adelaide (yes, I count JJ) spring to mind.

That's still not that many. If you look at the grand final teams of the past few years there's quite a few with questionable key forwards. Sam Reid, Chris Dawes, Kositchke etc. It's great if you can have two stars but it's not essential. If Daniher steps up and we either get Belly there 80% of the time or get any other tall who can consistently take a mark, we'll be ok. I'd hardly say it's a VFL standard key forward line.

Not the thread for this anyway. Hooker is an elite key back of the competition. Let's be happy that we'll have him pairing with Hurley back there.

 

[yaco55]

How many forward lines have two stars in the key posts? It's usually one good tall and another just providing a target.

JD is still developing and not yet at a good level - So we just have targets - We may as well trade in Chris Dawes.

Somehow it has passed over people's heads that the two best attacking teams won the premiership - But go ahead and weaken the forward line.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Our defence turned to shit when Hooker was moved forward what if Hurley gets injured? will be stuffed.

The only way we could keep Hooker fwd is if we still had Carlilse but he's left the club.

 

[blitzer]

I'm pretty ambivalent whether he plays forward or back. He's great wherever he plays. He is not the problem. In fact i reckon he'd do a better job in the midfield than most of our midfielders right now as well. We just need to find more good players. Hooker will be fine regardless. Overall i'd probably prefer him back because you can probably get away with playing smaller players up forward whereas you need big defenders against some teams no matter what and right now are KP stocks are paper thin - albeit talented.

 

[Doss]

I think I'm pretty happy with him returning to the backline.

However, Woosha will hopefully still use him as a forward weapon on occasion.

 

[Mercurial89]

I think I'm pretty happy with him returning to the backline.

However, Woosha will hopefully still use him as a forward weapon on occasion.

Use him the same way he used Hunter in their Grand Final years probably. Mainly defence but swing him forward for an immediate impact to reshuffle their defence then put him down back.

 

[Talidorian]

Sydney, Hawthorn, Adelaide (yes, I count JJ) spring to mind.

North Melbourne, Richmond, GWS and St Kilda are others i can think of.

 

[ant555]

JD is still developing and not yet at a good level - So we just have targets - We may as well trade in Chris Dawes.

Somehow it has passed over people's heads that the two best attacking teams won the premiership - But go ahead and weaken the forward line.

They also had good tall defenders , with Carlsle gone we need Hooker in defense and have to find another forward option. You are using the Hawks example
well Lake, Gibson and Frawley says you need the good defenders as well.

 

[BrunoV]

Think that versatility of talls is one of the most overrated and misunderstood concepts in football.

Throwing a guy back or forward to influence a game has its place but all players need to be settled in position. Versatility in general is a concept that borders on being complete bullshit. All the best teams have 4 to 6 forwards who score most of their goals with there being another 4 to 6 players who are rotated through positions in the midfield and on flanks which are more of less the same positions.

I'm happy to have Hooker in defence with Hurley where we can at least ensure we will be seriously strong. Thrown in Hartley and give us a defensive founding that will enable us to take the game on further up field. We need players who can win one on one rather than only be effective when the delivery to a forward is poor.

Bellchambers is going to spend a lot of time deep as a forward in 2015 by the sounds of it. He's the player that will draw the attention from Daniher. Bellchamber, Hooker and Daniher in the one forward line is too cumbersome.

The best use of the currently available talent is for the forward line to then contain the 3 to 4 190cm+ mid sized players we have and some smalls. I still look at McKernan as a genuinely viable forward with his mobility, work rate and hands.

 

[loopy_cam]

JD is still developing and not yet at a good level - So we just have targets - We may as well trade in Chris Dawes.

Somehow it has passed over people's heads that the two best attacking teams won the premiership - But go ahead and weaken the forward line.

I agree we need a lot more from JD. An improved JD and a Chris Dawes type would be a decent tall forward set-up though. We do have a lot of eggs in the Daniher basket.

 

[Rack Watts]

I agree we need a lot more from JD. An improved JD and a Chris Dawes type would be a decent tall forward set-up though. We do have a lot of eggs in the Daniher basket.

 

[Drummer_19]

The Dawes type is basically Ambrose, we all loved him up forward this year didn't we?

 

[ant555]

No for Dawes. Yesterdays man.

 

[Vander18]

I had high hopes for Hooker forward next year - could see him kicking 50-60 goals whilst taking the oppositions best defender. Don't see anyone else on our list that can do this and don't see us filling this gap via trade/free agency. My instinct is that key forwards are harder to find than key backs and that Hooker should stay forward.

If we can plug and play and extra tall defender (Brown, Hartley, Talia...whoever) then I think the back six is still pretty strong and experienced. If memory serves didn't it all really come unglued when Hooker was forward and Hurley out injured?

With no Carlisle or Hooker forward then I agree with Yaco.....it starts to look VFL level. If its going to work then at least one or two of McKernan, Edwards, Laverde and Lagford need to break out in a big way and JD need to progress much further and quicker than he has thus far ( and I think his progress has been reasonable). This structure does JD no favours however - he'll get the #1 defender every week and unless the above guys get dangerous, defenders will zone off and create 2 on1 contests as they did much of this year.

 

[eth-dog]

17 away from 150, due against Brisbane