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

 

[Lore]

Training tomorrow, as anticipated. He could not get back quick enough...

Important leaders Cale Hooker and Joe Daniher are both tracking well in their recovery from calf strains, with Hooker set for a breakthrough at The Hangar on Wednesday.

“Cale will be in training tomorrow, we’re looking forward to seeing him with the group.

https://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/...-for-stringer?camefrom=EMCL_2810948_132978986

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

So how many more games will Hooker miss? Just mentions he’s back with main group. Dees game maybe?

 

[eth-dog]

So how many more games will Hooker miss? Just mentions he’s back with main group. Dees game maybe?

Due back round 5

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

Hooker back in the mix for selection for our game on Friday. Another underdone player but probably worth the risk.

 

[Mr_McBoogerBalls]

No Hooker, no Essendon.

 

[PressureCooker]

Think he's possibly our most important player, structure wise. I think of him as the keystone (look it up if unfamiliar) to our team and without him our structure falls apart.

I'm expecting (hoping for) a big improvement when he returns. It's just a shame one player alone is so pivotal to our chances of playing like an AFL standard side...

 

[Vander18]

Would seriously consider playing one of him or Francis forward.

 

[Beerfish]

Look forward to him coming in underdone, doing stuff all and then people next week calling for him to be traded/delisted.

 

[VelvetSledge]

Look forward to him coming in underdone, doing stuff all and then people next week calling for him to be traded/delisted.

It's like clockwork at this point.

 

[Bjchan13]

Would seriously consider playing one of him or Francis forward.

I prefer both back but i think theres a high chance Chook will play forward if he comes back this week.

 

[Vander18]

I prefer both back but i think theres a high chance Chook will play forward if he comes back this week.

So would I but we desperately need a second key forward whose name is not Mitch Brown.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

If it’s that line ball just give him an extra week rest

 

[bombreys]

If it’s that line ball just give him an extra week rest

Call’s already been made according to the website, won’t play either level til next week

 

[Lore]

Now the official line from the injury report;

The club has decided to take a patient approach with important key-position Bomber Cale Hooker, who will be given another week of training to prime himself to return from the sidelines.

“Cale trained today and looked pretty sharp, to be fair, but we’ve decided following that session we’re going to give him another week of training before making him available to play.

“If he had played this Sunday in the VFL he’d be five and a half weeks after that calf strain and Cale’s going to take an extra week to keep building his football training ahead of playing.

https://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2019-04-02/begley-set-to-return

So another week with no Chook. There's a joke in here somewhere about chicken dinners and cooked chooks idk

 

[Lore]

 

[Ambrosia]

Do we consider playing him forward again with Daniher out? Slide Mckernan to second ruck and Clarke out of the side?

I really like what Ambrose brings to our defence

 

[eth-dog]

Need him on McInerney. Dees have no really tall forwards, who we generally struggle with unless Hooker's on them

 

[Lore]

Looks like he'll be back in the side this week.

Experienced Bomber Cale Hooker is on track to be available for selection to take on Brisbane this week after overcoming a calf injury.

Physical performance manager Justin Crow said Hooker has so far done all that’s been asked of him ahead of the side’s clash with the Lions at the MCG on Saturday.

“Cale trained well last week and also he’s performed well on the track this week,” Crow said on the SKINS Injury Update on Tuesday.

“We have main training tomorrow and he’ll be out there putting his hand up for selection.”

https://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2019-04-09/hooker-poised-for-return

 

[Call Me Cake]

Play him. We need to beat the Lions at all costs. Lose to Brissy and you can almost forget about the season anyway.

 

[citizen-erased]

forward or back?
We're losing McKernan, and our only other alternative is Brown.
Not sure Hurley/Francis/Ridley are gonna be tall enough to play Hipwood & McInerney.

 

[eth-dog]

Back. Ambrose would struggle on all of them.

 

[TheFrenchCut]

The question to me in the short term is whether you're happier with Ambrose back with Hooker forward, or Hooker back with Clarke or Brown forward.

I'm taking Hooker forward.

 

[TDay]

Plonk Hooker at full forward, everyone else play back

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

Hooker and Hurley to take on their big forwards....Stringer, Stewart or Brown and Francis up forward for us.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Hooker back for sure. Hurley to Hipwood (our best option, but geez..), Hooker to McInerney / McStay.
Shame Z Clarke can't defend (or play) as his height would be useful back there this week.

I think it will be Stewart forward (and Clarke out).

Francis may swing depending on how it rolls out. Hooker's intercept marking helps cover what Francis adds to the back 6.

I look at the teams and think man we are going to have to play well to get the points. Brisbane have a lot of weapons suddenly. It's like their young guns have all grown up at once.

EDIT damn, Stewart is injured. Sorry, missed that. So.... ummmmm. Welcome back Mitchy B.