travis cloke

[P-MONEY]

Nothing against the guy, but i don't want him.. I'm still amused that he can call himself a premiership player.. He is lucky he has good players around him.

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

Nothing against the guy, but i don't want him.. I'm still amused that he can call himself a premiership player.. He is lucky he has good players around him.

I would rather we draft a talent in this year's draft. Dickson went OK in the weekend, so we don't need to throw good money away on Cloke. He will stay at Collingwood, he is just drawing out his contract.

 

[mrbewbs]

Would rather the club try to grab Tom Lynch/Cameron, if they were to go after a KPF. Talking about free agents would rather they have a play at Clinton Young. Should be rather cheap and is a great kick.Could fill in the old Gilbee role. And depending on how Saints go we could grab one of their guns.

 

[VitalDread]

unlikely to go to Bulldogs, isn't that interested in us, from a family source.

 

[linkman]

Nothing against the guy, but i don't want him.. I'm still amused that he can call himself a premiership player.. He is lucky he has good players around him.

Seriously that is a crap statement. He almost singlehandedly got them to a flag last year. He is one of the best contested marks in the comp. He is quality. Full stop.

Please tell the last key forward that stood up in any final for the dogs. Even Grant was no finals legend.

Maybe you should shake your head a little because - dead set - your eyes are stuck.

 

[StringyDog]

Talking about free agents would rather they have a play at Clinton Young. Should be rather cheap and is a great kick.Could fill in the old Gilbee role.

This frustrates me so much, it's not 2008 any more, he is a long kick not a good kick, the reason he has hardly got a game in last 2 years is he can't hit a target under 40 metres which is a pivotal part of Hawks short kicking gameplan, he is shit, 26 years old, rarely gets more than 15 touches a game and was openly offered for trade last year which attracted zero offers, Moles can't get a game and he offers exactly the same.

 

[mrbewbs]

This frustrates me so much, it's not 2008 any more, he is a long kick not a good kick, the reason he has hardly got a game in last 2 years is he can't hit a target under 40 metres which is a pivotal part of Hawks short kicking gameplan, he is shit, 26 years old, rarely gets more than 15 touches a game and was openly offered for trade last year which attracted zero offers, Moles can't get a game and he offers exactly the same.

He missed most of his footy because of a serious hip injury and numerous other injuries and when coming back either struggled to find form or behind others. When is is 100% fit he is a good player. On the flipside I only stated him as the only free agent I would consider to go after. As most of the others are too old. Unless of course the Saints free agents decide to jump ship if their season implodes.

 

[TempleKelvington]

I am all for talking up Cloke so that the Pies have to dig a little deeper to keep him, or someone pays too much to get him. That in turn makes it harder for them to go out and get a free agent of choice.

There is no chance we will get Cloke. But it does not hurt to inquire, as a I said earlier, with GWS and GC inflating the market at the moment, now is the worst time to be chasing a big name. Someone, will end up paying way too much for Cloke.

Better to wait a year or so when there is less inflationary market forces at play.

 

[Royale]

Seriously that is a crap statement. He almost singlehandedly got them to a flag last year. He is one of the best contested marks in the comp. He is quality. Full stop.

Please tell the last key forward that stood up in any final for the dogs. Even Grant was no finals legend.

Maybe you should shake your head a little because - dead set - your eyes are stuck.

Agree with this (though not so vigorous)

Why anyone would not want Cloke at their club beggers belief.

 

[Mutt]

Agree with this (though not so vigorous)

Why anyone would not want Cloke at their club beggers belief.

I'm not sure anyone is saying that they wouldn't want Cloke at the club.

I think the point is more that Cloke's asking price will be very, very high and he is not going to be worth paying that price right now for our club.

No harm in making inquiries, as TK stated above. Anything that drives Cloke's price up is good for us unless we are the buyer.

 

[Unnamed1]

Seriously that is a crap statement. He almost singlehandedly got them to a flag last year. He is one of the best contested marks in the comp. He is quality. Full stop.

Please tell the last key forward that stood up in any final for the dogs. Even Grant was no finals legend.

Maybe you should shake your head a little because - dead set - your eyes are stuck.

I tend to agree with P-MONEY, but perhaps not as strongly. I just don't rate Travis Cloke that much in comparison with other forwards in the game - I would put all of Brown, Pav, Franklin, Roughead, Hawkins, Riewoldt and maybe even Mitch Brown or Kennedy (to name a few) in front of him as they are more all-round players. Some are likely to have different opinions than me on this, but you can at least see my point.

While Cloke obviously has amazing hands, he is a poor kick (unless kicking long) and isn't known for his defensive work or leadership. Getting him to our club would cost us dearly in salary yet not add that much to our team.

 

[linkman]

I tend to agree with P-MONEY, but perhaps not as strongly. I just don't rate Travis Cloke that much in comparison with other forwards in the game - I would put all of Brown, Pav, Franklin, Roughead, Hawkins, Riewoldt and maybe even Mitch Brown or Kennedy (to name a few) in front of him as they are more all-round players. Some are likely to have different opinions than me on this, but you can at least see my point.

While Cloke obviously has amazing hands, he is a poor kick (unless kicking long) and isn't known for his defensive work or leadership. Getting him to our club would cost us dearly in salary yet not add that much to our team.

Brown is a legend but past it.
Pav has never performed the dominant key forward role. His best footy IMO is when on the ball.
Reiwoldt - absolutely - but past his best now.
Franklin and Roughy are no better kicks than him and he is a better mark.

My point is that I don't care whether he comes or not. To claim that he is a flawed premiership player and that you don't rate him is a terrible indictment on the person making the statement. He is being offered a $1m because far more knowledgable than you or I say he is worth that to their team.

Really what more does a player have to do for doggies suporters to rate him. Why is that we always have negative opinions of payers that are at the least very good and at best superstars. Yet some of the pelicans in rw&b get leeway?

I have no idea whether you watch the Pies - I do as I have a soft spot for them and watch their games when I can (my late father followed them).

In all honesty purely as a key forward - he is in front of Grant, who had to go to HB because of poor set shot kicking; and any other bulldogs key forward in the last 35 years - including Hall at the end.

Yet the educated bulldogs supporters claim they dont rate him - on what basis.

Do I want him - not at a $1m. But if he wanted to come he would be a brillant addition to a dysfunctional forward line for 6 to 7 years.

 

[Igloo]

In all honesty purely as a key forward - he is in front of Grant, who had to go to HB because of poor set shot kicking; and any other bulldogs key forward in the last 35 years - including Hall at the end.

Yet the educated bulldogs supporters claim they dont rate him - on what basis.

Do I want him - not at a $1m. But if he wanted to come he would be a brillant addition to a dysfunctional forward line for 6 to 7 years.

I agree with you that Cloke is a gun, and any team would be happy to have him, and they would be a better side for it, but you are doing some serious overrating of him here.

To suggest he is a better key forward than Grant or Hall were is wrong, imo. The most goals Cloke has ever kicked in a season is 69, and that was last year at, when he was what, 24? Easily his best year of his career. At the age of 17 Chris Grant kicked 51 goals, and was the leading goal scorer for the club. He also kicked 71 goals 4 years later.
Barry Hall kicked 80 goals in the 2010 season, a feat I honestly can't see Cloke ever replicating.
Both were undoubtedly better key forwards than Cloke will ever be, in my view.

 

[linkman]

I agree with you that Cloke is a gun, and any team would be happy to have him, and they would be a better side for it, but you are doing some serious overrating of him here.

To suggest he is a better key forward than Grant or Hall were is wrong, imo. The most goals Cloke has ever kicked in a season is 69, and that was last year at, when he was what, 24? Easily his best year of his career. At the age of 17 Chris Grant kicked 51 goals, and was the leading goal scorer for the club. He also kicked 71 goals 4 years later.
Barry Hall kicked 80 goals in the 2010 season, a feat I honestly can't see Cloke ever replicating.
Both were undoubtedly better key forwards than Cloke will ever be, in my view.

Granty did that in year one and yes ended up a legend. No doubt about that. But he was a terrible set shot kick. Simply had the yips after really that first year. Look me in the eye and tell me you were confident every time he was having a set shot. Even in year 1 many of his goals were from play rather than set shots. Would Grant get as much ball in the F50 with all of today's congestion. This is questionable - but ultimately unanswerable.

The game has changed. The reason Cloke does not kick 80- goals a year is a) he is a shit kick b) he does not need to and C) his midfield make life so much harder than it needs to be by coming in from the boundary.

To suggest that Hall in his last 2 years was better that Cloke because he kicked 80 goals is not understanding the role that is required of every forward now days. Barry partly gave up because his body could no longer cope with the changes required. Hall was a lead up forward who never really took pack marks and used his skills - i.e. pace to advantage. Yes Barry was a great forwad. You dont kick 800 goals without being so. But his best footy was past him when he got to the dogs.

Also when the going gets tough you need a power forward who can stand tall and take marks. Hall never did that. And his finals record was poor to average. Many swans people blame him for the GF loss to WC. Grant's finals records was very similar. For how good he was, I recall only one final that he had an impact is - when we played the swans in a QF in or around 97/98. Although I am happy to be corrected on that.

Now, over the length of their careers Grant and Hall are and will always be a far superior players - IMO. My statement was the last 2 years of Hall's career with us v Cloke over the same period and with Grant's performance as a key forward (not a CHB) given his decided dislike for set shots and non big game performances.

If all 3 were in their prime in 2013- I would take Hall and Grant. Hands down. Each have more to offer than Cloke ever will and with todays game on mobility, defence and contested possession there is a lot more to work with.

However, as a power forward in today's game - who performs in big games, and is the focus of a froward line in 2013 to 2017 style footy. Cloke holds his own and IMO provides more in the key forward area. And this is proven - unlike Hall and Grant. IMO of course.

 

[wian]

He would be a great addition to our forward line, especially if he could bloody kick straight for goal more consistently ! hehe !

 

[TMoney22]

would adding Cloke take us to a premiership in the next 4 years?

 

[Zephiisdaman]

For what it's worth i would like to add my two bobs worth.
If the asking price is a million we should still try and get him, I am sick of getting blokes at the ends of their career.
Cloke is the right age and you can build a forward line around him. I have doubts on his kicking but as mentioned by others he is no worse really than Granty. When Granty kicked all his goals it was a hell of a lot easier for the forwards than now. This bloke is a marking machine, he would be fantastic working with Liam, Ayce and Roughy.
I doubt whether we will get him as I believe it is a ploy by the Clokes to get more $$$$ from Collingwood, but I would be waving the cheque book to at least make it difficult for him to make an easy decision.
Will we make the top 4 with Cloke? Who knows. But we will be a hell of a lot closer to the top 4 with him than without him.

 

[Testekill]

For what it's worth i would like to add my two bobs worth.
If the asking price is a million we should still try and get him, I am sick of getting blokes at the ends of their career.
Cloke is the right age and you can build a forward line around him. I have doubts on his kicking but as mentioned by others he is no worse really than Granty. When Granty kicked all his goals it was a hell of a lot easier for the forwards than now. This bloke is a marking machine, he would be fantastic working with Liam, Ayce and Roughy.
I doubt whether we will get him as I believe it is a ploy by the Clokes to get more $$$$ from Collingwood, but I would be waving the cheque book to at least make it difficult for him to make an easy decision.
Will we make the top 4 with Cloke? Who knows. But we will be a hell of a lot closer to the top 4 with him than without him.

This is around about how I feel although I am a little more critical on his goal kicking ability. It all comes down to how much we'd have to offer to lure him here, paying an absolute bundle to lure a player that would probably be coming out of contract or reaching the end of his career by the time we would be contending for the top four is a little too much of a gamble for my tastes.

It's all about how much we'd have to pay for him since anyone would love a dominant mark like his playing for their team.

 

[tonydean]

This thread is absolutely pointless. There is no way in hell Travis Cloke is coming to our club, and you smart blokes on here should know that. Absolutely no chance, just like the chances were of us getting Mick Malthouse to coach us this year, absolutely no chance.

 

[Curly5]

We are interested.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/dogs-demons-in-hunt-for-cloke-20120516-1yrl8.html

 

[stefoid]

This thread is absolutely pointless. There is no way in hell Travis Cloke is coming to our club, and you smart blokes on here should know that. Absolutely no chance, just like the chances were of us getting Mick Malthouse to coach us this year, absolutely no chance.

We wont get him, but good onya boys, make sure the pies pay tippety-top dollar to retain him.

 

[Minnow27]

this may of been said before, been to lazy to read all the posts, but loving this..Jack up his price, create uncertainty. Ward isnt worth what he is been paid, yet we were going to reach to keep him. If im running a club with fa.coming up and cloke being highly regarded at the another club, jack the price uo..make.collingwood stretch their cap..

i like the dogs showing aggression to get bettee but make it smart to screw the opponent iver..happens in the nfl so why not now...if all that has been stated, please disregard anything ive said

 

[Ghenghis]

I think some people are missing the point on this. For too long the Dogs have mainly participated in 'trades' by being on the wrong end of the deal.
It's time for us to be proactive and look to get the personal to fix our problems.
Even if we don't get Cloke, by pushing up his price tag it puts more pressure on the Pies to match it and therefore a player like Sidebottom comes into play.
It's similar to the father-son rule now where the team with the pick after you can make a play for one of your f-s choices forcing you to use an earlier pick than you originally wanted.
The game is changing.....and we don't want to be left behind.

 

[Royale]

Yep, glad we've thrown our hat into the ring.

I'm liking what i'm seeing.

 

[josh the gent]

FWIW, I have no doubt Cloke would add to our list, but wouldn't getting him in have an adverse impact on Liam Jones? Both players are true CHFs.

Really, what we need is a true FF - that is why the trade for Hall was fantastic, and had a pretty positive impact on Liam's development...

FYI - there is some serious KPF talent up for grabs in this year's drafting period - Mason Shaw (this year's best), along with the 2 best rated picks mini draft picks are all very viable and very talented KPF options...