Hooker graduated from Applecross Senior High School and played for East Fremantle in the WAFL.

He started the year in defence but was switched to the forward line halfway through the season.

He and his teammates were initially found not guilty in March 2015 by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal,[5] but a guilty verdict was returned in January 2016 after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

He was suspended for two years which, with backdating, ended in November 2016; as a result, he served approximately fourteen months of his suspension and missed the entire 2016 AFL season.

[6] The suspension sparked speculation that Hooker would leave Essendon as a free agent, but he signed a new five-year contract with Essendon in April 2016,[7] rejecting larger offers from several other clubs.