Cale Hooker

[freoextra]

Unless we're a contender I don't want a guy that's 28 with his best football behind him. Also, the game is getting faster and he isn't no spring chicken. While teams like Geelong are moving on older players that don't fit the club's next chapter we should pick up an AA 28 year old? so we don't finish bottom?

Neale hasn't signed, and there wasn't any real reason for him not to during the pre season. His value to the club wouldn't have changed much. Now where the club is I can't see him staying. I think we'd get a high first rounder for him.

Really think you are jumping the gun on Neale. Any smart manager would tell their player to hold off until the next salary cap in known. Neale is one of our few consistent players at the moment and can look forward to a healthy pay increase when he starts negotiations. Has given zero indication of being unhappy.

 

[Sweetback]

The belief that you have to spend years rebuilding is crap.

With smart trading and some luck with free agency you can add quality quickly.

We still have the depth in the midfield to compete particularly if Bennell gets fit

I certainly don't want to be wasting our current midfield by not recruiting players like Hooker and having them play in a holding pattern until draftees develop, whenever that will be. We already have a terrific midfield going to waste during this time of KPP dearth.

 

[yakka man]

People are so stupid and contradictory. So Hooker, at 28, is too old, yet we have been relying on a 32-35 year old Pav for years. Explain that to me? Hooker is someone who we have to go after hard.

 

[nurries]

People are so stupid and contradictory. So Hooker, at 28, is too old, yet we have been relying on a 32-35 year old Pav for years. Explain that to me? Hooker is someone who we have to go after hard.

This exactly..Plus he has a bruise free year this year that probably gives him another 12 months longevity in the future

 

[TheMcManusNose]

I certainly don't want to be wasting our current midfield by not recruiting players like Hooker and having them play in a holding pattern until draftees develop, whenever that will be. We already have a terrific midfield going to waste during this time of KPP dearth.

Yeah I don't think we should really be embarking on a 4-5 year re-build when we have players like Fyfe, Hill, Walters, Bennell all around the 25 year age mark. We need to be looking at recruiting hard to cover the gaps over the next 2-3 years at most.

 

[Lach72]

I certainly don't want to be wasting our current midfield by not recruiting players like Hooker and having them play in a holding pattern until draftees develop, whenever that will be. We already have a terrific midfield going to waste during this time of KPP dearth.

Yeah.
The way I see it Fyfe, Bennell, Hill and Neale is the nucleus of a premiership winning team, and Hill is the oldest of them at 25-ish.

We need to be building for next year and the year after, while also building for the future.

Hooker and McCarthy strengthens our spine hugely.

If we can get Bennell fit and pump games into Blakely, Weller, Langdon, Pearce, Grey and hughes etc we can have another crack quickly.

We clean out the 14 players I mentioned above in the next 2-3 years and we have the future taken care of by drafting and trading/free agency

 

[wild side]

Yeah I don't think we should really be embarking on a 4-5 year re-build when we have players like Fyfe, Hill, Walters, Bennell all around the 25 year age mark. We need to be looking at recruiting hard to cover the gaps over the next 2-3 years at most.

Exactly like Geelong have done.

 

[estibador]

Hooker is almost exactly 3 years older than Fyfe, which means he'll still be playing when Fyfe is 28.

Or are we trading Fyfe too because apparently we won't be contending by that time and we don't want any ancient 28 year olds clogging up the list?

This obsession with age gets out of hand sometimes. Imagine if we'd flicked Sandi at 28 because 'his best was behind him'.

 

[Nickos66]

Spend years trying to get a quality player into the club. And now when there is a good possibility one is coming our way, people are suggesting we pull out. *sigh*

Yeah we should just forget him. I'm sure WCE will find a spot for him at East Perth, afterall.

 

[Lach72]

Hooker is almost exactly 3 years older than Fyfe, which means he'll still be playing when Fyfe is 28.

Or are we trading Fyfe too because apparently we won't be contending by that time and we don't want any ancient 28 year olds clogging up the list?

This obsession with age gets out of hand sometimes. Imagine if we'd flicked Sandi at 28 because 'his best was behind him'.

What would getting Hooker and McCarthy say to Fyfe and Neale?

We're giving this a crack...not going for them says you're in for a long 5 years

 

[se17enteen]

Reasons to get Hooker.

Free
In his prime
All Australian
Defender
Forward
West Aussie
His family supports Freo

People saying recruiting Hooker will destroy our cap are completely wrong.

There will be plenty of money left because Sandilands, Pavlich, Barlow, Mayne, Mzungu, De Boer, Spurr, D.Pearce, C.Pearce and Clarke will be out of contract.

With Pavlich retiring only Sandilands and Spurr will be at Freo next year you would think, the rest will be traded or on very cheap 1 year deals.

Plenty of money for McCarthy and Hooker.

 

[Van_Dyke]

Reasons to get Hooker.

Free
Interested in coming to Freo
Over 195cm

EFA

 

[UFO Tatsu]

Reasons to get Hooker.

Over 195cm

EFA on a EFA

 

[Miltz]

People are delusional if they think we should not go after Hooker.

Past years we have chased every OOC / FA KPP with no luck.

Buddy
Cloke
Reiwoldt
Rance
Clark
Taylor
McCarthy
Hogan

Now we have a chance to land a quality KPP is his prime who can play forward or back, and we don't need to satisfy anyone with a trade, and people are saying "no" . Hooker gives us the perfect stop gap and is a massive upgrade on Dawson offensively and a better KPP than Johno. We have been shagged by other clubs whether it be the draft (McCarthy, Adams) or players just using us to bump up their own salary. We need to get him and land McCarthy this offseason.

 

[Mr Peabody]

Yeah.
The way I see it Fyfe, Bennell, Hill and Neale is the nucleus of a premiership winning team, and Hill is the oldest of them at 25-ish.We need to be building for next year and the year after, while also building for the future. Hooker and McCarthy strengthens our spine hugely. If we can get Bennell fit and pump games into Blakely, Weller, Langdon, Pearce, Grey and hughes etc we can have another crack quickly. We clean out the 14 players I mentioned above in the next 2-3 years and we have the future taken care of by drafting and trading/free agency

I've often observed that you are referred to as a former mod from hell but on this occasion, I find myself agreeing with you.

 

[Allikat]

Hooker's going to look so good in purple next year.

All our past trade/drafting screwups would be nothing compared to letting him go. We'd be bloody stupid to not pick him up. (ok that's an overstatement - we've had some pretty big screwups)

 

[Allikat]

I've often observed that you are referred to as a former mod from hell but on this occasion, I find myself agreeing with you.

You know there's some people melting & overreacting when Lach is the voice of reason

 

[Sweetback]

Yeah.
The way I see it Fyfe, Bennell, Hill and Neale is the nucleus of a premiership winning team, and Hill is the oldest of them at 25-ish.

We need to be building for next year and the year after, while also building for the future.

Hooker and McCarthy strengthens our spine hugely.

If we can get Bennell fit and pump games into Blakely, Weller, Langdon, Pearce, Grey and hughes etc we can have another crack quickly.

We clean out the 14 players I mentioned above in the next 2-3 years and we have the future taken care of by drafting and trading/free agency

Yep, it's doable. We just need Hooker and McCarthy and I think Ross will get everything else to click.

 

[Lach72]

You know there's some people melting & overreacting when Lach is the voice of reason

Always

 

[scon]

Neale hasn't signed, and there wasn't any real reason for him not to during the pre season.

The only player we have whose manager has actually taken the time to come on the board and explain their thinking.
You should read it.

 

[Wizard]

According to Twitter we had a shot at Josh Bruce, he has now signed an extension.

 

[Freomaniac]

Hooker's going to look so good in purple next year.
All our past trade/drafting screwups would be nothing compared to letting him go. We'd be bloody stupid to not pick him up. (ok that's an overstatement - we've had some pretty big screwups)

10 years ago in the Pre Free Agency era, Freo would of offered their 1st and 2nd round pick to get Hooker. Back then Freo traded on potentially good players that turned out crap. We Also paid way overs on fringe premiership players too.

 

[scon]

Someone possibly played with Damien Drum's privates but it's hardly relevant.

 

[Freomaniac]

I am on the camp that wants Hooker and here is why. I am thinking of 2017 and 2018. If Hooker joins Freo in 2017 and Pav retires. Who would want at CHF? Tabs or Hooker? What about CHB? Dawson or Hooker? By 2018 Dawson and Johnson will be gone. Freos 2 key defenders could be a 30 year old Hooker and a 22/23 year old Al Pearce. Now think about that. This isn't a Chris Tarrant type trade in 2006 where we had to trade a pick and a player. We give Hooker a 4-5 year deal Hooker signs it, Essendon get a compo pick and thats it. How easy can it be?

 

[Freomaniac]

Someone possibly played with Damien Drum's privates but it's hardly relevant.

Well it seems relevant because Freo back in 1999 had picks 2, 4 and 5 and we got Hasleby, Pav and Leigh Brown. In 2000, Freo traded Jess Sinclair, a 1st rounder and 3rd rounder for Peter Bell. Interesting times then, Interesting times now.