Cale Hooker signs five-year contract with Essendon

CALE Hooker has signed a five-year contract with Essendon, knocking back interest from at least five rival clubs. And the news gets even better for the Bombers.

Cale Hooker has resisted overtures from Fremantle. Picture: Michael Klein

CALE Hooker has signed a five-year contract with Essendon.

The Herald Sun understands talks between Hooker’s manager Tom Petroro and Bombers officials late last night clinched the deal.

The Bombers increased their offer from a four-year deal to five years at about $750,000 a season.

Fremantle, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Melbourne and Collingwood were among many clubs to make a play for the best-and-fairest defender.

Two of those clubs offered six-year deals for the 27-year-old, meaning Hooker has rejected up to $1 million to remain a Bomber for the rest of his career.

The news gets better for the Bombers with an announcement soon that All-Australian defender Michael Hurley will also remain a bomber.

Hurley has been courted heavily by rival clubs, but his manager Paul Connors has repeatedly told them Hurley is loyal to the Bombers.

🔴⚫️👊🏼 #EFC17

— Cale Hooker (@Hooksy26) April 27, 2016

Bombers list manager Adrian Dodoro and chief executive Xavier Campbell worked tirelessly to convince Hooker his future, and the club’s future, was looking bright under new coach John Worsfold.

Hooker and Petroro met late yesterday to discuss Essendon’s latest offer and the club was informed of Hooker’s decision late last night.

Despite urgings by media commentators to let Hooker leave and receive pick No.2 in this year’s national draft as compensation, the Bombers were determined to keep Hooker and the rest of the 12 suspended players.

Cale Hooker’s signature is a huge boost for Essendon. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Hooker is the latest player to agree to return to the Bombers post suspension.

Midfielders Heath Hocking and Travis Colyer have also re-signed while ruckman Tom Bellchambers is close to committing and Dyson Heppell, tipped to be the next skipper of the club, has indicated he also will return.

Hurley and Heppell were at the MCG on Anzac Day to support the club, while club officials also remain confident midfielder David Myers will be back for the 2017 season.

Recent TV reports that Hurley had stopped training with David Buttifant, who is overseeing an extensive training program with the suspended 12 players, were widely off the mark.

That leaves last year’s skipper Jobe Watson, who flew out of Melbourne this week, as the remaining high priority signature.

The Bombers are hopeful, but admit they don’t know what decision Watson will make.

Hooker, who will be 28 when he returns next year, leaves for America this weekend for a training period with several professional sporting teams.

The suspended players have meet Worsfold socially, including Watson last week, and are said to be enthused with Worsfold’s direction, honesty and attitude towards them.

Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell spoke on radio after the news broke, confirming Essendon had upped its original four-year offer to Hooker.

“We spent a lot of time talking to Cale about our vision and our future as a football club and he’s come to that resolution that he wants to stay at Essendon Football Club and we are super excited to happen,” Campbell told SEN.

“He’s hitting his prime now so we feel really comfortable with the terms of the deal.”

Campbell said the club had had “really positive dialogue” with all the banned players about returning next year.

“We’re not going to put undue pressure on players to return to Essendon, they need to make that resolution themselves.

“What’s starting to shine through is that we’re a different football club to 2012.”

Originally published as Cale Hooker signs five-year contract with Essendon