The MCG used to be a very short commute for Jesse Hogan. Living a few drop punts away in East Melbourne, he could – and would – travel to his clubs home ground via skateboard, his favoured mode of transport. Hogan developed a reputation at Melbourne for keeping some unusual hours, and it wasnt unheard of for him to skate around the area well into the night.
For a brief period on the second Friday last October, it looked as though Hogan would continue to hang around Melbourne for at least another year. Moves had been afoot for the forward to make his long-mooted move to Fremantle, but recently-installed Dockers football chief Peter Bell wasnt going to bring the West Australian home at any cost.
Jesse HoganCredit:AAP
Fremantle issued a statement, which at face value pulled the rug from under the trade talks, placing in jeopardy the complex web of trades including the moves of Steven May to Melbourne, and Lachie Neale to the Brisbane Lions, which had hinged on Hogan – contracted to the Demons for 2019 – crossing the Nullarbor.
It was a shock to everyone, Hogan included. Having missed the Demons exhilarating run to the preliminary final because of a season-ending foot injury, Hogan was on holiday in Bali when the Dockers released their statement.
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Emotionally he was already committed to a move to WA, and without a word of warning from the club that had kept a close eye on him for years, his journey to the Dockers had become imperiled.
Hogan went looking for answers. Its understood that was the player himself who kick-started the process, getting on the front foot by contacting the Dockers in a bid to ensure a move was facilitated.
Jesse Hogan has shown he's an A-grader.Credit:AAP
The panic didnt last long.
The following day, Hogan returned to Perth, and met with Fremantle officials. The ball was definitively rolling again, and the Dees came to the party too.
The Dockers checked out Hogans at-times troublesome body, and were satisfied he would stand up.
With the considerable help of the TLA management stable, whose company looked after a host of players seeking moves, the deal was done well inside the trade deadline the following Wednesday.
Hogan became a Docker, as did Rory Lobb, Neale joined the Lions, and May moved from the Gold Coast to the Demons. It was Mays defection that underscored the bargain for the Dees. They had landed an A-grade key defender, filling an area of need, at the expense of a potential superstar forward, a part of the ground that at the time looked much better covered, given that Tom McDonald had proven to be a revelation, and Sam Weideman looked to be coming of age.
Jesse Hogan wants to forge his own Freo path, without comparisons to Pavlich. Credit:AAP
The question of whether Hogan would head back to WA had hovered over the Demons for years. With it came a sense of dread for their fan base.
Such was the sensitivity surrounding his situation that when Hogan put talks on hold until the end of 2016 – in part to wait until there was greater clarity surrounding a new AFL collective bargaining agreement – despite being contracted until the end of 2017, it was a major story.
He duly re-committed later in 2016, but in the midst of a tumultuous 2017 – a season punctuated by the death of his father Tony, a battle with testicular cancer, and a broken collarbone, talks about a move to Perth are understood to have been floated by the Dees.
Hogan of 2019 is a riddle. With him, the Dockers have risen. Without him, the Dees have plummeted.
But to the naked eye, this isnt so much because of Hogan, than in spite of him. The forwards endurance is a strength. One of the highlights of seeing him play for the Dees at the G was to watch his long leads to the members wing. He likes to get his skates on, so to speak.
Statistically, he is playing a very similar role to the one he performed last year, with 39 per cent of his disposals coming in the forward 50, compared to 38 per cent last year – according to Champion Data.
But hes averaging just 1.2 goals per game thRead More – Source
The MCG used to be a very short commute for Jesse Hogan. Living a few drop punts away in East Melbourne, he could – and would – travel to his clubs home ground via skateboard, his favoured mode of transport. Hogan developed a reputation at Melbourne for keeping some unusual hours, and it wasnt unheard of for him to skate around the area well into the night.
For a brief period on the second Friday last October, it looked as though Hogan would continue to hang around Melbourne for at least another year. Moves had been afoot for the forward to make his long-mooted move to Fremantle, but recently-installed Dockers football chief Peter Bell wasnt going to bring the West Australian home at any cost.
Jesse HoganCredit:AAP
Fremantle issued a statement, which at face value pulled the rug from under the trade talks, placing in jeopardy the complex web of trades including the moves of Steven May to Melbourne, and Lachie Neale to the Brisbane Lions, which had hinged on Hogan – contracted to the Demons for 2019 – crossing the Nullarbor.
It was a shock to everyone, Hogan included. Having missed the Demons exhilarating run to the preliminary final because of a season-ending foot injury, Hogan was on holiday in Bali when the Dockers released their statement.
Advertisement
Emotionally he was already committed to a move to WA, and without a word of warning from the club that had kept a close eye on him for years, his journey to the Dockers had become imperiled.
Hogan went looking for answers. Its understood that was the player himself who kick-started the process, getting on the front foot by contacting the Dockers in a bid to ensure a move was facilitated.
Jesse Hogan has shown he's an A-grader.Credit:AAP
The panic didnt last long.
The following day, Hogan returned to Perth, and met with Fremantle officials. The ball was definitively rolling again, and the Dees came to the party too.
The Dockers checked out Hogans at-times troublesome body, and were satisfied he would stand up.
With the considerable help of the TLA management stable, whose company looked after a host of players seeking moves, the deal was done well inside the trade deadline the following Wednesday.
Hogan became a Docker, as did Rory Lobb, Neale joined the Lions, and May moved from the Gold Coast to the Demons. It was Mays defection that underscored the bargain for the Dees. They had landed an A-grade key defender, filling an area of need, at the expense of a potential superstar forward, a part of the ground that at the time looked much better covered, given that Tom McDonald had proven to be a revelation, and Sam Weideman looked to be coming of age.
Jesse Hogan wants to forge his own Freo path, without comparisons to Pavlich. Credit:AAP
The question of whether Hogan would head back to WA had hovered over the Demons for years. With it came a sense of dread for their fan base.
Such was the sensitivity surrounding his situation that when Hogan put talks on hold until the end of 2016 – in part to wait until there was greater clarity surrounding a new AFL collective bargaining agreement – despite being contracted until the end of 2017, it was a major story.
He duly re-committed later in 2016, but in the midst of a tumultuous 2017 – a season punctuated by the death of his father Tony, a battle with testicular cancer, and a broken collarbone, talks about a move to Perth are understood to have been floated by the Dees.
Hogan of 2019 is a riddle. With him, the Dockers have risen. Without him, the Dees have plummeted.
But to the naked eye, this isnt so much because of Hogan, than in spite of him. The forwards endurance is a strength. One of the highlights of seeing him play for the Dees at the G was to watch his long leads to the members wing. He likes to get his skates on, so to speak.
Statistically, he is playing a very similar role to the one he performed last year, with 39 per cent of his disposals coming in the forward 50, compared to 38 per cent last year – according to Champion Data.
But hes averaging just 1.2 goals per game thRead More – Source
