It’s reassuring when he drifts down back to halt the oppositions momentum.
I think Hooksy versatility forward and back is such a weapon for us.
He is security for that crucial CHB post if needed and a sensational target when Jd is being shaded by his man.
Remember when JoeDan’s kicking was so bad last year everyone was in full panic mode. Panic dollars everywhere.
Now he might win the Coleman.
What if Cale made the same level of goalkicking improvement for next year as JoeDan has this year???
It may not all click in 2017. But I am confident it will in 2018. Hooker may not have accounted for himself as well as he would have liked. But he is a competitor, proud person, and in the free oxygen of the off season will make the necessary adjustments.
If you said Joe and Cale were going to kick 100+between them at the start of the year - absolute cartwheels. They have done it in one of the poorest inside 50’s teams in the comp.
Perspective.
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Taking a fair amount of clunks, had 8 shots on goal.
Sometimes looks almost Carey like in that opposition just can’t stop him if he gets a strong run up
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I don’t necessarily agree that the wind was a problem with his kicks, primarily because he has THE WORST routine we’ve seen at EFC…but take a look at that Gibbs(?) goal towards the city end. It was bending left off the boot, and from about 10m out took a hard right to go through for a goal.
The guys a beast. Leave him up forward. Will win us a final off his own boot.
A big tall strong forward who can take the game by the scruff of the neck and turn it to his team’s advantage. Players like this are rare. Players like this are so valuable.
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Micky Symons?
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Worse than that.
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One day he will kick straight and snag 10 goals.
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If you have a look at his misses, they are as straight as an arrow, like he will split the middle of the points from 35 out, doesn’t seem to be a ball drop issue, doesn’t seem to be contact or shank or wicked hook or fade.
Whilst his kicking style is sort of awkward and gangly, it isn’t inconsistent in style, IE he does the same thing and kicks the same distance most times.
To me the problem is mostly between his ears. He has this look of fear and dread whenever he has to set shot, the closer and easier the set shot seems, the more stressed and worried he looks. Please tell me as a professional he has a couple of hundred practice shots a week, and who is, or is there a professional tutor,mentor or goal kicking coach at Essendon?
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Two of his shots in the last were very close - one hit the post and the other fell just short. It’s a fine line! On anther day…
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No one I’d rather sitting under a high ball in a one on one deep forward.
He absolutely toyed with wietering who, though still a kid, is no slouch in one on ones.
Looked likely to mark everything in the last quarter.
He also created multiple scoring opportunities by bringing the ball to ground.
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Just needs to get the same goal kicking coach over the pre-season. Lock it in now.
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I’m amazed at the amount of people who either don’t realise this or just flat out refuse to acknowledge it. So ■■■■■■■ stupid.
Yep Skippy.
It makes no sense to me whatsoever.
If we said before the season (which I did) that Joey and Hooker would kick 100 goals between them we would consider it a pass. Expectation before the season was Joey 60 goals and Hooker 40 goals. And keep in mind these were high expectations.
They should and will both exceed these expectations which is a phenomonal effort.
He may never be a great kick for goal, but he brings something to the forward line that NO ONE on our list can bring.
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Might be in a who can miss more shoot out with Jenkins on Sunday?
The game on the weekend reminded me of the Classic video of Essendon’s 1993 premiership year. M Thompson gleefully recounts each game and discusses the ins n outs of the performances. Fast forward to the round 16 Essendon V West Coast encounter. This game is famous for two things. 1) K Sheedy going ape with his jacket on victory and 2) D Kickett taking a fantastic contested mark on none other than J Wooshfold, going back and slotting arguably the best torpedo goal you will ever see from well inside the centre square at the MCG. Less well know is P Salmon’s goal kicking efforts. He had kicked something like 6x behinds in a row and took a contested mark on G Jakovich very late in the game. M Thompson when narrating the game said “If he missed another one I was going to punch him myself”. Same could have been said about Hooker. They both went back and scored crucial goals which has kept their respective sides in the hunt for finals. I’m not one for omens but if you were looking for one, that one is pretty good.
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His second efforts have been a feature, as has his ability to keep his feet after the contest, when his opponent(s) go to ground. I can certainly recall him snapping goals from general play too.
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Its amazing you mention that. As when he was lining up for the shot that was the exact thing i was thinking of as well.
I wonder if Harvey was clenching his fist in the coaches box