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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ant555 said:
Not really. Everyone complains when sides run the footy out of our defense easily. It is going to happen to us whenever sides play an athletic defender on him. He does a great amount of good but his slow pace is also an issue. At a minimum he needs to be bringing the footy to the ground like he did in the pies game.
I will say some of our inside 50 disposal gives him no hope at all which is not his fault.
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There's an advantage to the lack of work rate. We've seen many a small forward capitalise on this.

He often finds himself in space in scoring positions.

In my view being in place to intercept a kick and goal or kick a JTG is worth very little. You'd expect anyone to kick those goals. It's worth marginally more than being in place to intercept the ball, uncontested, at the other end.

I'd say that's why 5 goals last week landed him a solitary coaches vote.

Enjoy the swansong, people. He's cooked.
 
ant555 said:
Not really. Everyone complains when sides run the footy out of our defense easily.
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No they don’t. The coaches might, but the fans don’t. He kicks a bag and everybody hails him. He has one poor game and they yell retire.

Jeez people, relax. He’s no slower than he was last week. He is playing a role for us, he takes the opposition’s best key defender generally, which is important, and he creates a contest when need a get out kick. He’s obviously not playing in our next flag but he’s going a job and is fun to watch when he’s getting on the end of some. I don’t think his role at the moment is too dissimilar to Tex Walker or Josh Kennedy. All three have emerging talls playing around them.
 
Really the the only stat worth reading in the context of where he is playing is goals kicked though isn't it?
 

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Wahooti Fandango said:
Why did he go right footed cross check for that set shot and not left footed snap as he has done very well this year?
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I noticed he winced a little just after he marked. Looked leg related
 
JayJ20 said:
Hooker's value isn't just about his stats. He brings the ball to ground which helps players like Walla, Stringer and Snelling. Holds his own in contests.

Considering we're the highest scoring side in the competition, I have no issue with Hooker's role or our forward structure for that matter.
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Being the highest scoring and 2-6 makes one think there might be an issue somewhere

Defense these days requires the full 18. Turnovers are killing us but other teams seem to be getting out of their D50 pretty easily too.

I’m not saying Hooker is a factor. It’s so hard to understand team defense when not at the ground. But we definitely need to be a bit more blue collar when the oppo gets the footy in our forward line.
 
Dero said:
Really the the only stat worth reading in the context of where he is playing is goals kicked though isn't it?
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I should say not good reading when you compare him to other KPF his size.
 
ant555 said:
I should say not good reading when you compare him to other KPF his size.
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he’s in his what third year as a KPF - most big forwards come good in year four or five so he’s probably tracking very nicely.
 
It’s a strange one - I agree that he is a liability when ball hits deck but he can still clunk it and he’s still hitting the scoreboard.

I think we have to play him - he still attracts the best tall defender and the trickle down effect of that is Jones getting the third. I think that’s an important outcome for now.
 
ant555 said:
I should say not good reading when you compare him to other KPF his size.
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2.8 goals a game is alright though yeah?
 
Vander18 said:
It’s a strange one - I agree that he is a liability when ball hits deck but he can still clunk it and he’s still hitting the scoreboard.

I think we have to play him - he still attracts the best tall defender and the trickle down effect of that is Jones getting the third. I think that’s an important outcome for now.
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Just to be anal he is actually very good below his knees. He’s just so slow now that he has no hope of impacting contests when the ball isn’t in his area. The bad thing as this extends to aerial contests as well. Against Carlton Jones regularly ran away from him to create 2v1s
 
JayJ20 said:
Hooker's value isn't just about his stats. He brings the ball to ground which helps players like Walla, Stringer and Snelling. Holds his own in contests.

Considering we're the highest scoring side in the competition, I have no issue with Hooker's role or our forward structure for that matter.
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Too many contests I see demonstrate the exact opposite.

Ball comes in - Hooker is engaged is completely stationary 1v1 wrestling match with a defender. Sometimes it comes off and he takes a strong contested grab, but too often he just physically can't provide a contest If he's even slightly misjudged the flight path of the ball.

When it hits the ground - I see Jones and Wright constantly chasing and harassing, trying to apply pressure. Same goes for our smalls. I don't ever see Hooker doing it (because he can't). As others have said, maybe the fact that it's 17v18 is part of the reason teams leave our D50 so easily.

I get the fact that he has kicked a lot of goals, but to me that doesn't matter. This isn't the bygone Jason Dunstall era. Every player needs to constantly apply pressure or you will get found out - and we have. It's team based football that wins games and premierships.

I am not knocking his effort or intent - he always gives 100% and I am thankful of that. I am just saying he physically can't do all those things. That's why talk of another year is a pipe dream.
 
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