When you do that “Special” dance…
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Strange that Ben Brown who has been in good form, struggled big time against Rance tonight - Some underestimate quality tall defenders - Hooker has been good two of the last 3 weeks.
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Move him back before we break him please.
He is doing a good job helping out Joe and the smalls in the forward line. I’; keep him there. He’s due’for a bag soon.
It’s not all about how many Cale kicks, . although he’s virtually averaging 2 a game, which aint bad, … but it’s also how often he makes a contest and is not beaten in the air, bringing the ball to ground for the mossies to pick off and goal.
They would be interesting stats, . as to how often that’s happened, . and how often he’s been outmarked.
These are the sorts of things that the Coaches have & know, … that the flotsam in the outer have, in the main, no idea on
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How well did the superstar Jonathan Patton go on the weekend? Against a recycled hack like Hartley of all players? … Barely got it anywhere near goal.
Hooker is doing a good job. Goal kicking is a work in progress (understandably) but he still hitting scoreboard. He is generating 4-6 shots on goal a game. From fark all inside 50’s I might add.
If he keeps kicking 2-3 goals a game and taking marks across half fwd and deeper then that’s all we need from him. And no one else we have on list presently will offer better.
Until we trade in someone who can take that spot and do it better than he is he stays there. So everyone pressing for him to go back STFU as it ain’t happening.
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Yep, as BSD and Speedy said, he’s doing well. He’s in the top 5 for contested marks in the league. He’s had a few bad games here and there - which of the returnees hasn’t? Yet is still doing well. Just needs to get the goal kicking a bit tighter (and I’m aware that isn’t always a “just”), and there would be little to complain about with him.
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He isn’t playing his best.
He isn’t clunking them like we know he can.
He isn’t kicking them straight.
He has still managed to kick 18 goals for the season.
That makes him the 24th highest goal kicker so far this year.
With 18 teams in the competition… that’s not a bad effort from our 3rd highest goal kicker.
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Spot on. Add in the benefits to structure and bringing the ball to ground for the little guys, and he’s been a huge improvement over every #2 player we’ve had for about 10 years.
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He has been massive in terms of forward structure and taking the pressure off Joe. Just needs to fix his set shot kicking for goal
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I suppose it is easy to think a great mark like Hooker can go down forward and just continue to mark the thing. Watching how Hooker and Daniher get blocked and literally shoved out of the way show hard it is for forwards to go for a clean mark. A defender can glide in and go for it. A forward has a couple of players solely trying to stop a marking attempt. So much for the old keep your eyes on the ball. I reckon all forwards deserve a fair go from the umpires in a marking contest. Is there still a rule that a shepherd must be within Five meters? That said I think Hooker is making us better up forward and you have to kick goals to win. Keep him up there until someone else (Francis) can do the job
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On track for a 30 - 40 goal season, not to mention freeing up Joe and bringing smalls into the game.
I would have taken that at the beggining of year.
You’d hope he gets even better as the year progresses and hopefully he shanks less.
Absolute bullshit the criticism he copped in the media. It’s already been said to death on here what he brings to forwardline. One of the best contested marking key forwards in the game and on track for a 40 goal season…how long has it been since we had one of them?! Let alone 2. Absolutely stoked how well he has performed this year to be honest.
If he kicked a bit straighter he would be touted as the next big thing.
He is playing his role and on a 1:1 battle is close to being unbeatable in the air.
Takes pressure off JOEDAN and brings the three small blokes into the game.
Just needs confidence to grow in his kicking.
I suspect that was his best game of the season against GWS - and it had to be given what he served up the previous week against the Tigers.
2 goals.
1-2 others he really should have kicked.
3 goal assists.
Quite a few marks in F50.
Hopefully it’s the start of an uphill climb to the peak of form for him.
fixed
improvement over every #1 player we’ve had for about 10 year
I haven’t heard him get criticized in the media…all the criticism is on this site!
Not sure if serious?
He got shitcanned pretty hard by a few, and as they tend to do the broader football media just ran with it. Every press conference the week following Richmond everyone respresenting the club was asked about him playing back/forward.
But a high profile/highly paid player getting shitcanned after a poor performance shouldn’t surprise anyone. Of course it was over the top headline grabbing hysterical clickbait garbage, as it is 99% of the time from those ravenous mongrels. Why anyone would get upset about it perplexes me. It’s very easy to ignore the self flageltation and egomaniacal noise that is the football commentariat.