Understand Hooker back, but he has hardly played there for 3 years. Can we expect instant success sending him back?
Also did anyone notice how our structure completely fell apart up fwd last year when he didn’t play? Maybe having Stringer fwd will help but they are totally different players.
Im not saying no to Hooker back, just raising some points.
Woosh seemed reluctant to swing Hooker back last year.
Would have been interesting to see what they would have done in the Sydney final if Hooksey was playing.
Melbourne were ■■■■■■ for stealing Hibberd from us.
I blame us really
We needed to up our offer for him, clearly we didn’t value him as highly as we should have and he goes and has an all Australian season after that.
In saying that Hibberd spent the majority of the year whilst banned partying which would have been well known to all so he maybe didn’t do himself any favours to being offered more by us.
Here’s a bold prediction for 2018; Hooker will become an All-Australian defender once again. He’ll make the move back starting Round 1 against the Crows.
I can only hope…
Twomey trolling us again 
TWO THINGS WE LEARNED
1. James Stewart’s development means Cale Hooker can be shifted back
The Bombers got 22 goals from James Stewart last year in his most productive season at AFL level. Stewart booted three goals against the Cats in the JLT Community Series on the weekend, and with the Bombers also getting some more attacking power from recruit Jake Stringer now, Essendon should consider sending Cale Hooker into the backline more. They have shown they can score well, but need to be tighter with their defence.
STILL A MYSTERY
Can Jake Stringer have an influence in the midfield?
The Bombers have trialled the former Western Bulldog in the midfield, where they hope he can have an influence with his bigger body and bustling style. He received a head knock early against the Tigers and struggled, but was better against the Cats in kicking two goals and having 13 disposals. However, it’s yet to be seen if he has the running power to have a regular impact around the ball. - Callum Twomey
■■■■ it. I’m done with the dysfunctional midfield and defence. Send him back.
I’m more of the opinion of why do we have to define him?
Can it change week to week depending on opposition and match-ups?
Against the Crows he plays back.
Against Richmond he plays forward.
Week to week decision. He can play both ends.
BACK BACK BACK 100%
Speculation in Sun saying Fogarty to replace Walker, and Doedee to come in for Lever.
This talk of Stewart’s development allowing us to send Hooker back is off the mark in my opinion.
Stewart is no more of a key forward than Lang or Lav. Against Sydney in the final he was regularly out-marked by smaller defenders, and it happened all season too. He just isn’t strong enough in the contest to handle a key defender.
Hooker back and Stewart taking a key defender means Stewart’s opponent will have the luxury of leaving him in aerial contests and double-teaming Joe. Ignore Stewart’s size. He is a hard running link up player like Tom Lynch (Adel) is and Gunston was when he played forward.
Also the Crows actually used to run only Tex, Jenkins and Lynch
They then found that when Jenkins went into ruck that Tex would just get double teamed and be ineffective.
So they then brought in McGovern who ensured that they always had another marking threat. And McGovern gets off chain as he on 3rd best defender when they all there together.
He also makes sure his man accountable and not helping out on the others.
It’s no different to us with Stewart.
What’s going on with Hartley? Is he injured? He is a key plank for me in terms of our structure and what we do with Hooker. I don’t think Ambrose is tall enough to hold down a key defensive post. Hurley at 193cm is also reasonably short for a modern key back. Harts has to come on this year otherwise we may have no other alternative but to send Cale back if we get monstered by opposition tall forwards. It was only a JLT game but Hawkins kicked 5, with Ambrose standing him most of the day…
harlteys just no good.
There is also footage of Myers & Laverde on separate occasions out rucking him in the intra-club games.
Don’t let his size fool you, his a child.
Now you are getting personal, Ants.
hey I’m not judging.
Walker and b.crouch wont play r1
3 of the 5 where from soft as butter free kicks mind you. But your point still holds true, he struggles against the Gorillas. However there are not as many gorilla fwds as there used to be. We are seeing more running work rate types these days. These are the players Ambros matches up well on.
Both Stringer and Stewart are not even close to the same type of player Hooker is. Yes Stewart kicked 3 goals but take Hooker out of that fwd line and I bet he would not have kicked those goals. Hooker an integral part of our fwd line, you only have to look at the games he didn’t play last year and how significantly weekend our fwd line was.
Hookers main strength is not his marking on its own, but its the ability to never get out marked. Against Sydney in the finial Sydney took intercept mark after intercept mark in our Fwd line, When Hooksy plays that doesn’t happen, he finds a way to get the ball to the ground.
Plus if the op dont pay him the respect he deserves its clunk city. So he takes a massive about of pressure of not only Joe but Stewart as well. And also creates a huge amount of ground ball opportunity’s for our small fwds.
Interestingly in the weekends game once Hurley matched up on Hawkins. Hawkins was pretty much blanketed. I suspect in a home and away season this move would have been made earlier. People question Hurley’s ability to play one on one, but he was instructed to play off his man last year for very good reason, this leaves him more vulnerable in the marking contests. If instructed to lock down I have no doubt he could but we loose a lot in attack.
We need to find a better balance that works when the chips are down. We get scored against too heavily and quickly when good sides get on a role. But we also still need to maintain are own scoring ability.
By adding MCG and Smith to the midfield should help for a start. The amount of clean center clearances teams got against us last year was alarming. No Backline in the comp can stand up to that much clean ball coming in.
Stats mean very little on there own, and neither do clearance numbers. Clean unpressured clearances are what really hurt us in the backline the most.
The 41 goals Hooker kicked last year means little on its own as well. How many goals did his presences allow Fantasia, Joe, and Stewart kick? How many would have they kicked if Hooker wasn’t fwd?
and the opposite argument how many more goals would have he stopped if he was back?