Good see that Hookers’ forward play getting the recognition it deserves.
If someone suggested during the preseason that we would have 3 forwards kick 40 plus goals for the season we would have looked for a loony bin. With at least 4 games to go this looks a real possibility.
Recognising what he does right and how he structurally helps the team is great - but don’t pretend he shouldn’t be missing goals from 15 metres out. Fix up that part of his game and he’s getting to elite forward category and we win a couple more games for the year. I’ll back him in to fix it, but he needs to do it soon. If he can turn things around like Joe did after the Melbourne game, we might just sneak into the finals. That’s how important it is to the team.
Well…
This is awkward…
My bad.
I like it when @redbull gets worked up.
Fwiw I said during preseason that Joe and cale were a good show to kick over 100 combined. Some here were pretty quick to suggest I was being ridiculous.
I’ll cop to that. I don’t remember specifically saying it was ridiculous, but I definitely would have thought it. Our forward line is waaaaaay more effective than I was expecting.
I think he has been really important up forward and that’s why Joe has been so good. He has always had the tendency for big brain fades but of our returning players he has probably had it the hardest in a new role and has performed the best.
I always thought you were a good canidate for the loony bin!
Love a good stat based discussion vs opinion based on observation.
I have been emotional after the Dogs loss and I directed a lot of anger unfairly at players like Jobe and Hooker. Doesn’t help anyone but we are an emotional bunch.
Now a couple of days have passed, I can safely say that people calling for Hooker to be traded are insane! He’s had a great year and just a week earlier put on a match winning performance in the last quarter. As discussed earlier, if he kicks 40 goals, he’s had a very successful year!
Missing easy shots at goal is frustrating but remember how proud Hooker is and how he responded after Gary Lyon made those stupid remarks earlier this season?
He will rip the Blues a new one on the weekend. You saw it here first!
I love the global quantifiers like always, all and never, it could have been said, Hooker mostly marks the ball because last week Hooker didn’t, he could hardly mark at all. Fumbled, his kicking was off yes, he was, having an bad day.
We either were or we weren’t playing for a spot in the 8? Not important in terms of the importance of the game plan, maybe not? I would have thought a great moral booster for the whole club. We have a habit of making hard work out of something that doesn’t need to be that hard.
When this happens and any player has an off day, the coach usually makes a change, ours didn’t and often, doesn’t. Bellchambers has rested in the forward line in the past and is usually a reasonable kick for goal, from 20 metres out, 90% of the time, he’d kick it. Hooker could easily have rucked for a short time, gone off and rested and gone off and stayed off.
What is our plan B???
The same thing was said the week before and he didn’t move him and Hooker won the game. This week he missed the shots in the last that he kicked the week before. It happens, get over it.
Thanks Blitzers’. You have made up my mind for me. Hooker forward. Francis back. Fixed
Nah, seen it before, several dozen times.
Robert Walls can get stuffed, go and ghost write another book for your dog.
Walls never misses an opportunity to criticise anything to do with Essendon. Ignore him.
I think you understand little, then.
I actually think swapping them at 3 qtr time would have won us the game.
Let’s also not forget that in the past few years we have tried Hurley, Carlisle and a Judas/Bellcho combo up forward and it simply hasn’t worked.
Hooksey is sacrificing his own game for the team. You think he woke up one morning and said I know, I’ll go play in a position that is hardest to play and exposes one of my weaknesses (kicking) just for fun. The coaches/team approached him and he has embraced it. It would be easier/better for him to be down back.
Also where exactly on our list is this other big inform forward hiding that comes in to play the position opposite JD. Oh that’s right, nowhere.
He is doing a good job overall without being a superstar and stays up forward until we find someone as capable as him. Then he gets to go back. Talk of trading him is dumber than his brain fart playing on in the goal square.
Make it up this weekend Cale. All is forgotten if you destroy fark Carlton
I think he is doing a really good job.
Let us all remember the game vs Melbourne when Joe Daniher had an absolute nightmare and got roasted from every direction. It can happen.
I just think Cale failed to hold his nerve during his 150th in a very important game. He can work on that. Not like he has been practising goal-kicking under pressure since he was a kid like most forwards.
Going to finish the year with 40+ goals and top 5 in the league for contested marks. Not bad for his first year as a forward.