Essendon seasoned Cale Hooker has announced his status aft a 14-year, 219-game vocation astatine the club.
Hooker informed his teammates connected Tuesday that the 2021 play would beryllium his last, arsenic the nine moves into a caller epoch with a big of agleam young stars connected its list.
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Initially selected with prime 54 successful the 2007 nationalist draft, Hooker soon developed into 1 of the champion cardinal presumption players successful the competition.
The 32-year-old has been a pivotal fig astatine some ends of the crushed for Essendon implicit the past decade, with his versatility highlighted by an All-Australian quality arsenic a defender successful 2014 and a Best and Fairest grant arsenic a guardant successful 2015.
Hooker was initially expected to play arsenic a defender successful Ben Rutten's broadside this season, earlier being sent guardant aft the wounded to chap seasoned Michael Hurley, and is presently 3rd connected Essendon's goal-kicking database for the twelvemonth with 33 goals successful 18 games.
He was omitted from the squad aft the Round 19 nonaccomplishment to the GWS Giants and has not played since.
"I couldn't beryllium much grateful for the accidental the nine has fixed maine and I volition permission the crippled astatine the extremity of the play knowing I near nary chromatic unturned to springiness the club, my teammates and the fans everything I had," Hooker said successful a nine connection connected Tuesday.
"To person been portion of thing bigger than myself, thing that is truthful important to truthful galore people, has been specified a privilege and an honour. Representing this jumper is thing I volition ne'er instrumentality for granted.
"I emotion this shot nine and I conscionable privation to convey each my teammates, coaches, staff, volunteers and each the members and supporters who person been with maine passim this journey."
The cardinal presumption pillar volition beryllium everlastingly adored by the Essendon faithful aft spurning lucrative rival offers to stay with the club successful the midst of its supplements ungraded successful 2017.
Hooker was the archetypal large sanction from the 34 players suspended for the 2016 play to recommit to the club, with his signature being followed by a fig of his in-demand teammates besides pledging their futures to the club.
"Cale has fixed everything helium tin to the nine since arriving astatine the extremity of 2007, and present it is our crook to accidental convey you," Rutten said successful the statement.
"We'd similar to congratulate Cale connected his achievements passim his vocation astatine Essendon. He has brought invaluable acquisition and enactment peculiarly successful caller years to this group, and helium should beryllium precise arrogant of what helium has accomplished successful the reddish and black."
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