Andrew Hooper, right, and Callan Ward at a Bulldogs training session. 67492 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSK
By Michael Esposito
A FOOTY player can become a cult figure for a variety of reasons. One thing that links most cult figures is they’re not the most gifted player in their team, but do have that ability to endear themselves to fans by the way they go about their footy.
Luke Dahlhaus’s emergence as a cult player for the Bulldogs was rapid. He went from a relatively unknown rookie-listed player to a fan favourite a couple of games of AFL footy. His dreadlocks, his manic attack on the ball and X-factor in front of goal has given supporters something to get excited about in what has been an average year for the Sons of the West.
But another player could be destined for cult status. Andrew Hooper has become a fan favourite at VFL-affiliate Williamstown, for whom he has played most of his footy since joining the Bulldogs in 2009. The bullocking forward’s small but stocky frame and electrifying burst of speed has seen him kick countless goals that have lit up the Williamstown crowd.
Hooper’s widely publicised debut for the Dogs came in the semi-final against Sydney last year. This year, it has taken him 15 games to break into the senior side. Hooper considered his performance against Carlton, where the Bulldogs had an upset victory, as his most promising game so far.
He kicked two goals, had 12 possessions and laid three tackles. It was a game that had pundits talking about the much-needed spark that the likes of Hooper and Dahlhaus had injected into the Bulldogs’ forward line.
There’s no doubt the Bulldogs’ forward line is in a state of flux, with Barry Hall retiring, Mitch Hahn relegated to the rookie list and Daniel Giansiracusa in the twilight of his career. Hooper, with Dahlhaus, Liam Jones and Jarrad Grant are part of the new brigade.
“When the older blokes say that it’s great for the younger blokes to come in and bring that energy and a bit of spark and, it’s really good to hear that from senior players,” Hooper said.
“We look up to the senior players and when they say that about us it’s a huge honour. It was really good to bring that spark and energy to the boys and to win the four games in a row stood out as well.”
The Bulldogs have since slumped again, losing its past four games to essentially drop out of finals contention.
“We’ve still got the confidence going into next year and its good to bring the youth up now, playing a few games bring them together, we sort of really know what each other’s about and know what our game style and how we play, and that’s a bonus for all of us,” Hooper said.
Hooper has kicked six goals in five games for the Bulldogs, but was sent back to Williamstown on the weekend, where he kicked two goals in the Seagulls’ five-point loss to unbeaten Port Melbourne. While he is a proven goal kicker at VFL level, he said it was not what he based his game around.
“I base my game around forward pressure. It’s not all about possession and goals and all that sort of thing, it’s more of a focus on forward pressure, so it’s a big role for us to concentrate on and if the goals come it’s a bonus.”
Hooper admits he was getting impatient about getting the call-up for the Bulldogs this season
“It’s understandable for a football club, there’s 45 on a list and there’s only half who can play. I think everyone gets frustrated if they’re not in the team. All you’ve got to do is listen to what the coaches want you to do and keep persisting and do that in the VFL. If you do that that’s when you get your chance to play AFL.”
