Scandal The 'disgusting' on-field sledge that made a player consider walking off the ground and quitting the game

[_Mike_]

Travis Cloke has opened up on a horrific sledge he copped from a rival player that made him consider quitting football. The former Collingwood and Western Bulldogs centre half-forward retired in 2017 after suffering from severe anxiety and mental health issues.

• Travis Cloke said he nearly quit football after copping a brutal sledge in the VFL
• He didn't reveal who the player was who said the sledge about his mental health
• The 33-year-old retired from the game in 2017 after struggling with anxiety
• Cloke is still waiting for an apology from the player for the 'disgusting' call

AFL star reveals mental health sledge that made him consider quitting

The former Collingwood and Western Bulldogs centre half-forward retired in 2017 after suffering from severe anxiety and mental health issues from social media abuse.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Not surprised to see this going on, how many other players out there have had similar incidents considering quitting the game as a resort that we havent heard of? The surfacing of these issues highlight there's more of a problem than what the public is seeing.

 

[Dan Moody]

Ex St.Kilda player, aged 20'ish, possibly Brandon White

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

So what was the sledge

 

[Beerfish]

So what was the sledge

'You're a terrible kick. I bet you miss this.'

And he did.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

"Chewy on your boot."

The best and most shitful sledge of all time, rolled into one.

 

[Cotchins Hair Piece]

Cloke comes across as a bit of a precious soft-utensil. It’s a sledge on a sporting field, should be water off a ducks back.

 

[00Stinger]

I dont get this.

You can legally tell a bloke you will break his head if he touches the ball and that is fine

You can bump the s**t out of a guy who is coming back from a shoulder injury and that is fine

But if you say something to a guy who has had depression and that is not ok


What a time to be alive!

 

[AvantGardener]

I dont get this.

You can legally tell a bloke you will break his head if he touches the ball and that is fine

You can bump the s**t out of a guy who is coming back from a shoulder injury and that is fine

But if you say something to a guy who has had depression and that is not ok


What a time to be alive!

A somewhat empty physical threat or running through someone in a marking contest, or testing a physical injury out is different to society trying to break down stigma and make it easier for people experiencing mental health problems to open up and help to reduce the rate of 8 suicides per day in Aust.

No idea what was said and think pretty much anything goes on the footy field but just don't think those other things are a fair comparison.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I dont get this.

You can legally tell a bloke you will break his head if he touches the ball and that is fine

You can bump the s**t out of a guy who is coming back from a shoulder injury and that is fine

But if you say something to a guy who has had depression and that is not ok


What a time to be alive!

what do you mean?

the player wasn’t reprimanded or penalised for this either.

 

[Baird]

This is what I hate about this sport. Dickheads can get away with saying the most vile things because "it's just a sledge!". This doesn't happen in other sports. Maybe hockey is the only other one.

 

[Grodie Brundy]

I dont get this.

You can legally tell a bloke you will break his head if he touches the ball and that is fine

You can bump the s**t out of a guy who is coming back from a shoulder injury and that is fine

But if you say something to a guy who has had depression and that is not ok


What a time to be alive!

He makes it pretty clear it wasn't just "you're a headcase" or "you're f*cked in the head" (interviewers words), it must have been especially personal, like if you said it to someone in the pub you'd cop a fist in the mouth.

 

[Cotchins Hair Piece]

This is what I hate about this sport. Dickheads can get away with saying the most vile things because "it's just a sledge!". This doesn't happen in other sports. Maybe hockey is the only other one.

NBA, NBL, NRL, NFL, NHL... just to name a few that it definitely happens in. It’s just words during a sporting contest, if you take offence perhaps you’re not cut out for professional sport.

 

[00Stinger]

He makes it pretty clear it wasn't just "you're a headcase" or "you're f*cked in the head" (interviewers words), it must have been especially personal, like if you said it to someone in the pub you'd cop a fist in the mouth.

There are plenty of things that would get you belted in a pub that is normal practice on a footy field so that comment is pretty irrelevant to be honest

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

There’s a line you don’t cross with sledging on the field in any sport, unfortunately to many flogs just think they can say and do what they please

 

[00Stinger]

There’s a line you don’t cross with sledging on the field in any sport, unfortunately to many flogs just think they can say and do what they please

family, race, religion, sexuality

Rest is fair game

 

[tugga]

Your mother wears gumboots.

 

[00Stinger]

Your mother wears gumboots.

that is disgusting!

 

[GudOnya]

NBA, NBL, NRL, NFL, NHL... just to name a few that it definitely happens in. It’s just words during a sporting contest, if you take offence perhaps you’re not cut out for professional sport.

Try it in NHL and see what actually happens though, you'll be missing a few teeth while the other bloke gets a 5 minute rest.

Bit different to the other examples.

 

[BigPond101]

It was probably something like you should just hang yourself

 

[gingernuts]

the captain of one of the teams I coached defender playing on oppo's key forward in soccer, I asked him what the fook was going on out there?
My skipper says "that forward reckons he fooked me mum last night" What did you say to him? "I said yeah mum told me and she reckons you fooking shytehouse"

 

[masai]

This is what I hate about this sport. Dickheads can get away with saying the most vile things because "it's just a sledge!". This doesn't happen in other sports. Maybe hockey is the only other one.

Hockey, someone will wrap their stick around your ankles / shins, if you incur their displeasure.

What is classed as "disgusting" is the big query. What the problem is that one player would take a bit of lip as part of the game, another might take offense. Should they pull their head in and use the sledge as a point to play better ( feed off the sledge ), or go into their shell and let it eat at them ?.

Where do we draw the line ?. Your sister is the town bi...., your mum banged my dad last night ……..etc.

 

[Grave Danger]

Hockey, someone will wrap their stick around your ankles / shins, if you incur their displeasure.

What is classed as "disgusting" is the big query. What the problem is that one player would take a bit of lip as part of the game, another might take offense. Should they pull their head in and use the sledge as a point to play better ( feed off the sledge ), or go into their shell and let it eat at them ?.

Where do we draw the line ?. Your sister is the town bi...., your mum banged my dad last night ……..etc.

Will Minson to Kane Cornes: "Shouldn't you be at home with your dying son?"

 

[banzai]

This is what I hate about this sport. Dickheads can get away with saying the most vile things because "it's just a sledge!". This doesn't happen in other sports. Maybe hockey is the only other one.

Really I played soccer as junior. Pretty much anything and everything was said out on the field. It might be different these days though.

 

[Mofra]

This is what I hate about this sport. Dickheads can get away with saying the most vile things because "it's just a sledge!". This doesn't happen in other sports. Maybe hockey is the only other one.

Sledging in cricket is legendary.
It's s**t if it's personal, but funny sledging is fine.

 

[Linda_Lovelace]

This is what I hate about this sport. Dickheads can get away with saying the most vile things because "it's just a sledge!". This doesn't happen in other sports. Maybe hockey is the only other one.

Have you watched NBA? Non stop.