PLAYING the wise old man role inside the forward 50 sits well with Essendon veteran Cale Hooker.

He is experienced enough now to contribute while directing young teammates such as Joe Daniher, 23, Orazio Fantasia, 21, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, 23, and Josh Green, 24, to the right positions to run the opposition ragged.

That Daniher won the Anzac Medal for his performance while the other three youngsters earned worthy recognition for their supporting roles shows Hooker has some talent in the director's chair.

"I am enjoying being the older guy down there, helping teach and helping set guys up," Hooker said.

Far from being typecast as a defender after earning All Australian selection in 2014, he switched forward late in 2015.

And he is making a success of a shift plenty before him have found difficult, kicking three goals on Tuesday for the sixth time in the past 15 games.

Of course, a year passed between the first 10 of those games up forward and the five this season, but he has not lost his sticky hands or his willingness to sacrifice for his teammates.

Hooker's presence seems to be particularly helpful to Daniher, who is beginning to deliver on the investment in him as he passes the 70-game mark.

"[It] definitely helps having both of us down there as opposed to one of us," Hooker said, adding that he hoped Daniher was as pleased to have him around as he was to be around the youngster.

That Daniher is beginning to put in consistently good games is no surprise to Hooker, but it is an ominous prospect for the rest of the competition.

Standing in the rooms, enjoying the moment, Hooker said it was the prospect of wins such as the one against Collingwood that had inspired him to return to the club after his suspension ended.

"That is why we came back to play in games like that and have moments like these," Hooker said.