Is Travis Cloke going to GWS?

[Big_Luch]

Hope he goes to GWS, already has a flag.

Could be waiting to see if they win another flag...if he has two might increase his chances of leaving.

 

[Bombers_Forever]

I think he is gone too but like Ablett, he has a premiership so you can't begrudge him if he is taking the cash.

 

[Prem87]

They would love him right now.

If he did go Cloke and Patton would be a pretty awesome combo to watch. Especially with Hampton and Devon Smith crumbing.

 

[The Jug]

They would love him right now.

If he did go Cloke and Patton would be a pretty awesome combo to watch. Especially with Hampton and Devon Smith crumbing.

Damn... scary to think about

 

[brendan84]

Mark Stevens from the HUN reckons Cloke is a 60/40 chance of going ...

Would be a massive loss for the Pies, I think he is their most valuable player ....

personally i think he is a 54/46 chance of going. but tbh any flog giving a percentage chance of cloke leaving knows sweet f*ck all.

 

[Temploar]

I think he will go, but then if he does then it
1. Seals the premiership window shut for collingwood
2. Destroys my faith in afl footballers and basically defines that these days players play for money and not passion.

Either way it's up to Trav.

 

[PieNSauce]

i dont.

would he have stayed at geelong if gold coast offered him the same deal? yeppers.

my point was, GAJ didnt leave for the love of the GCS. and im not saying he didnt have other reasons either, as MC Extra Dollop points out later.

but in all honesty, and i dont begrudge the guy or even dislike him, the money talked to him very loudly.

second bolded point: what came first, the chicken or the egg? was his relationship souring because they knew he had already signed on for GCS? or had he already signed on because the relationship was souring?

i dont see any reason for the relationship to have broken down without the extreme pressure that the GCS speculation was generating.

im also assuming that if the money hadnt enticed him, no relationship breakdown, and therefore no reason to take the money...

he is also the only A+ grader to take the expansion club offer so far.

to say money wasnt a massive factor, if not the factor just doesnt ring true.

Clearly nobody said the money wasn't a big factor but to suggest that money alone was the key is I believe a bit unfair. This is the point I was making. You could as easily ask if he had a good relationship with his coach and administration and had no family reaons to feel happy about moving then would he have gone? Truth is neither you nor I know the answer to that question just as you don't actually know the answer to the one you posed and so readily answered above.

ass-u-me!

I'm not saying that Cloke won't go but it's pretty clear that there is precious little valid comparison between the two sets of circumstances.

 

[Smokeyr67]

Could be waiting to see if they win another flag...if he has two might increase his chances of leaving.

I'm ok with that, if he helps us to win another flag, then chases the 5 dollar offer, good on him!

Tier 1 compo, half a million drop in our TPP, and a flag - win win for mine.

Might make the free agent market a bit fruity

 

[Jables]

I think he will go, but then if he does then it
1. Seals the premiership window shut for collingwood
2. Destroys my faith in afl footballers and basically defines that these days players play for money and not passion.

Either way it's up to Trav.

AFL footballers =/= Travis Cloke

When Brown left Hawthorn it basically destroyed any enjoyment I could take from the AFL, even if Franklin, Roughead and Hodge stayed.

 

[Monkey King]

I think he will go, but then if he does then it
1. Seals the premiership window shut for collingwood
2. Destroys my faith in afl footballers and basically defines that these days players play for money and not passion.

Either way it's up to Trav.

Keep in mind there would be at least as many players turning down these offers as there are taking them.


Travis comes from a footballing family. Having seen his two older brothers delisted by the Pies and their subsequent earning capacity, I can't see him being overwhelmed by a loyalty-first sense of duty to the club. Considering manager/parental advisor Cloke Snr took the money and walked out on his original club a two-time premiership player, having just played off in an ill-fated Grand Final they were expected to win, I'm not too sure Dad will be in the loyalty-first camp either.

But who knows, perhaps Travis is just saying he realizes he's 25yo and this is probably going to be his peak contract, so he needs every leverage he can to make sure it's a good one; let the GWS talk heat up the contract offer and see what money might be freed up at year's end by the moves of guys like Tarrant, Johnson and Jolly. He seems close to his family, so I'm not sure he'd want to make the move, but $6m odd might just be enough to pry him out.

 

[Nolsey21]

I hope he doesn't but maybe he will. If so, Collingwood can use Dawes as the main goal kicker.

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

Gone!!!

Great recruit for GWS, they will be making big statements next year based on what I have seen from their list so far.

 

[Obeanie1]

They would love him right now.

If he did go Cloke and Patton would be a pretty awesome combo to watch. Especially with Hampton and Devon Smith crumbing.

The glaring deficencies last night for GWS were two big strong leading forwards. Agree Patton at FF and T Cloke at CHF they would then have a top quality forward structure to build around.

 

[Obeanie1]

I think he will go, but then if he does then it
1. Seals the premiership window shut for collingwood
2. Destroys my faith in afl footballers and basically defines that these days players play for money and not passion.

Either way it's up to Trav.

So players can only find passion playing for Collingwood?

Get real.

Watching the game last night I actually rate GWS as being more passionate than Gold Coasts effort last year based on just one game. The kids and mature aged rookies were great, went in hard, put their heads over the ball and for three out of four quarters were competitive being outscored by 30 points in 75% of the game.

Sure players getting drafted by Collingwood do appreciate the history and strength of the Collingwood club and its supporters but just think about the opportunity of being a foundation player and building a club up from scratch. I wonder if John Worsfold wishes if he had his time over again he'd rather have been drafted by Collingwood? I'm thinking he wouldn't want anything to be different.

The football universe does not revolve around Collingwood, simple as that.

 

[jimmy35]

I think he will go, but then if he does then it
1. Seals the premiership window shut for collingwood
2. Destroys my faith in afl footballers and basically defines that these days players play for money and not passion.

Either way it's up to Trav.

He's in a profession with a limited life span, he needs to make hay while the sun shines. And I couldn't blame him if it's a massive offer.

The glaring deficencies last night for GWS were two big strong leading forwards. Agree Patton at FF and T Cloke at CHF they would then have a top quality forward structure to build around.

Agree. He's exactly what they need. They should throw everything they can at him. Not sure what happens further down the track when their list matures and asks for more money themselves though.
I'm sure they've planned for that.

 

[Pnut]

Ablett is all about him and had no qualms in screwing over the club that made him the player he is today.

Geelong made Ablett the best player in Australia. He would have been shithouse at any other club. We found out a similar thing when Judd left WCE. He owed them because they made him the player he is. If he'd been drafted by some other club he would have been, like, not very good at playing football.

 

[IanW]

Agree. He's exactly what they need. They should throw everything they can at him. Not sure what happens further down the track when their list matures and asks for more money themselves though.
I'm sure they've planned for that.

Im not that certain -as a club, would we be better off with a cant-miss offer to Cloke, or with extending Cameron, Bugg, Coniglio, Shiel and Hampton for four years ?

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Geelong made Ablett the best player in Australia. He would have been shithouse at any other club. We found out a similar thing when Judd left WCE. He owed them because they made him the player he is. If he'd been drafted by some other club he would have been, like, not very good at playing football.

jesus h christ...

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

Good point, but Cloke is only 25 and would have plenty of value over the next 5-6 years. I think he would be the perfect player to structure an up and coming team around. Get him onboard!

 

[bombermick]

It's only one game, but last night has to increase the likelihood of Cloke or any other star going to GWS. If they're routinely smashed - as in 100 point beltings - then players will be reluctant, I feel.

But repeated efforts, like last night's, will help those who want the money confident a flag might not be far away if they go to GWS.

 

[Baltimore Jack]

Geelong made Ablett the best player in Australia. He would have been shithouse at any other club. We found out a similar thing when Judd left WCE. He owed them because they made him the player he is. If he'd been drafted by some other club he would have been, like, not very good at playing football.

Full moon?

 

[spudmaster]

Full moon?

Haha

 

[barmy44]

Clearly nobody said the money wasn't a big factor but to suggest that money alone was the key is I believe a bit unfair. This is the point I was making. You could as easily ask if he had a good relationship with his coach and administration and had no family reaons to feel happy about moving then would he have gone? Truth is neither you nor I know the answer to that question just as you don't actually know the answer to the one you posed and so readily answered above.

ass-u-me!

I'm not saying that Cloke won't go but it's pretty clear that there is precious little valid comparison between the two sets of circumstances.

all i can do is ass-u-me, as you put it. im not friends with ablett, but it is my opinion that he left mostly for the money, leading to a breakdown in his relationship with the club due to the constant speculation and seeming half truths that were flying around.

i know i dont have the answer, and i never definitively answered it outside giving my own opinion. its all any of us can do, and the reason we are on an opinion based football forum.

it might be an 'unfair' claim to make, but so what? ablett aint going to care... maybe i do judge him wrong for it. oh well, again, my opinion is that the money got the better of him - sure there were other reasons to leave, and other reasons to stay. in the end -> money made up his mind.

the only comparison between the two is that one left to go to an expansion club, and one might. end of. this whole ablett thing started because i simply stated everyone had their price, and used ablett (still the only major player to shift clubs) as an example. thats all.

its my opinion that money decided him, and fine, that is unfair in your eyes. but its my opinion, and not a value judgment in any way. i have never stated in this thread whether he was right or wrong, good or bad, for doing it.

i also am of the opinion that cloke will leave if the money is too good to pass up. unfortunately, we live in a world where money has a massive say in things. but hey, most of these players either play where they were drafted, or where their dads played, so why not?

fwiw, ill state again i cant actually see cloke leaving collingwood. but, we'll know in a few months.

 

[Roby]

He made a Freudian Slip when was asked when he 'I'd be stupid', in regards to turning down $1.5 Million a year. Although that's not to say Pies could offer around a Million, and then wouldn't be so clear cut. I don't think $1.5 million is that much when Ablett was offered much more than that.

If he does take the offer, GWS will have a mean forward line with Cloke, Patton, Wilson and a resting Giles. Also who knows how good Falou will get.

 

[Pnut]

Full moon?

sigh.. i was responding to our friend from geelong who was explaining that gaz didn't understand that he was obligated to the cats for life because they made him a great footy player. reminded me of similar sentiments from WCE supporters when judd left. it's like how the eagles made glen jakovich the commentator he is today, the lions made aker the top bloke he is today and bigfooty has given you the total lack of understanding sarcasm that you have today.