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

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Hooker is an example of why my views on players are forever clouded by stubbornness.

Thought he was Essendon's worst or close to it (Laycock the other) in his 3rd-4th season and questioned his worth.
Now we're at the halfway point of 2019, suddenly one of my all time favourite Bombers.

Doss.

Essendon's most reliable and trustworthy player for a long time and I'd happily call him a champion.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

I'm still staggered at how he was one of the oldest in his draft.

I know it was a mainly 1989-1990 draft but, for Dodoro to pick a Sandgroper born in '88, that's a rather good get.

 

[yodellinhank]

A very good player and great clubman. Champion is not a word I'd associate with Hooker. Great player in a poor era, they don't get remembered like the "Champions of Essendon" do.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Just watched the last quarter again, and he was just huge. Absolutely willed the team to come with him.
Holey sh!t if there were just 2 or 3 more players with his desire we would be on our way to good things.

Amazing isn’t it. He was absolutely everywhere. His mark against Davis - a gun defender - was the perfect example. He just got to the ball through pure will. He shoved Davis out of his way.

 

[Vindicater]

Watch the last quarter of Thursday’s game again.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To be fair normally we have Daniher and Stringer forward so we don't need Hooker there and our backline is clearly better with him there.

 

[Vindicater]

Amazing isn’t it. He was absolutely everywhere. His mark against Davis - a gun defender - was the perfect example. He just got to the ball through pure will. He shoved Davis out of his way.

The last play leading to his goal was even better.

Crashed the pack. Retrieved the ball and ran through the GWS tackle before dishing off and sprinting 60m to take the mark and then goal.

He does that in a grand final and it gets immortalised.

 

[Doss]

A very good player and great clubman. Champion is not a word I'd associate with Hooker. Great player in a poor era, they don't get remembered like the "Champions of Essendon" do.

It shouldn’t be that way though. I mean, if you are a club like St Kilda and apply that strict an interpretation, then you don’t consider people like Trevor Barker, Robert Harvey and Nick Riewoldt as champions.

I know we are not St Kilda but as a point of comparison, Hooker is likely deserving of being classed as a better player, and for longer, than a majority of our premiership players over the years.

 

[yodellinhank]

It shouldn’t be that way though. I mean, if you are a club like St Kilda and apply that strict an interpretation, then you don’t consider people like Trevor Barker, Robert Harvey and Nick Riewoldt as champions.

I know we are not St Kilda but as a point of comparison, Hooker is likely deserving of being classed as a better player, and for longer, than a majority of our premiership players over the years.

St Kilda are the perfect example, because it's who I'd thought of when considering the whole thing.

I remember as a kid talking with family (saints) and they called Nathan Burke a champion. I was confused about it all. Champions win flags, like the champions I knew about at Essendon.

I can see how Lockett & Harvey might be considered champions. Our equivalents might be Moss, Jobe. When was the last time Allan Noonan came up in conversation?

 

[DapperJong]

When was the last time Allan Noonan came up in conversation?

just now

 

[Doss]

St Kilda are the perfect example, because it's who I'd thought of when considering the whole thing.

I remember as a kid talking with family (saints) and they called Nathan Burke a champion. I was confused about it all. Champions win flags, like the champions I knew about at Essendon.

I can see how Lockett & Harvey might be considered champions. Our equivalents might be Moss, Jobe. When was the last time Allan Noonan came up in conversation?

Yeah I know what you mean. How many people remember that Geoff Blethyn is one of our very few players to kick north of 100 goals in a season? Very few, I'd wager.

Having said that, I don't think it's particularly fair on the players concerned, because their club's lack of success in *insert given era* is certainly not their fault as much as the lack of quality around them, or *insert myriad other reasons outside their control*. I'm comfortable with all those guys named being considered club champions.

 

[Bigjobss]

The last play leading to his goal was even better.

Crashed the pack. Retrieved the ball and ran through the GWS tackle before dishing off and sprinting 60m to take the mark and then goal.

He does that in a grand final and it gets immortalised.

He made Davis his bitch at least twice that quarter

 

[jmoo wan]

He made Davis his bitch at least twice that quarter
View attachment 700231

that was such a perfect handball

 

[yodellinhank]

Yeah I know what you mean. How many people remember that Geoff Blethyn is one of our very few players to kick north of 100 goals in a season? Very few, I'd wager.

Having said that, I don't think it's particularly fair on the players concerned, because their club's lack of success in *insert given era* is certainly not their fault as much as the lack of quality around them, or *insert myriad other reasons outside their control*. I'm comfortable with all those guys named being considered club champions.

Hooker would be up there with the best players at the club not to have won a flag (or a final). I wouldn't throw "Champion" around so lightly. If Hooker is a champion, so too is David Hille. And I always have to double check if there's an "e" on that or not.

 

[Kakkle]

And to think we almost traded this guy for Liam Shiels and/or Jason Johannisen.....

That never happened.


Was thrown up in a trade for Josh Caddy. They said no. We were hellbent on trading him for two second round picks in 2012 to West Coast, but he simply refused to answer the door when Dodoro and Bomber came over. Thank * he never answered that door

 

[boncer34]

Hooker would be up there with the best players at the club not to have won a flag (or a final). I wouldn't throw "Champion" around so lightly. If Hooker is a champion, so too is David Hille. And I always have to double check if there's an "e" on that or not.

Bob Skilton was bog average.

 

[yodellinhank]

Bob Skilton was bog average.

He's famous for his individual brilliance and lack of team sucess.

One all australian and a club b&f, yeah I'm still not keen on "Champion".

 

[Doss]

Then your bar is impossibly high.

 

[DERO]

CHAMPION

 

[yodellinhank]

CHAMPION

Okay champ

 

[yodellinhank]

Then your bar is impossibly high.

Impossible? That's a silly thing to say. My point is throw around champion for a player like Hooker then there's quite a few champions going around. Champion bloke maybe. Very good player.

 

[Pweter]

Shane Crawford was almost not a champion, then he became a champion in his last game I guess.

Hooker certainly didn't start out as champion quality but the sum of his playing ability, heart, passion and leadership over the back 2 thirds of his career should see him remembered as a champion of the club.

 

[MiguelM]

His last quarter is the epitome of leadership.

Scrap leadership group and just have Hooker as VC to Heppell. Leadership group looks like more of a popularity contest atm.

 

[Towno78]

Impossible? That's a silly thing to say. My point is throw around champion for a player like Hooker then there's quite a few champions going around. Champion bloke maybe. Very good player.

The inevitable back to back flags and Norm Smiths he's about to win will make this convo look silly

 

[DERO]

Okay champ

Oh no you didn’t!

 

[Pweter]

Oh no you didn’t!

Look pal, he didn't mean anything by it