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

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


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.
 
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

Premiership Player
Mar 13, 2016
4,735
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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.
 
Sep 22, 2011
40,568
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Your girlfriend's dreams
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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.
 

Grodie Brundy

Debutant
Dec 2, 2013
96
175
Melbourne
AFL Club
Collingwood
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

Bouffant Flat Top
Mar 6, 2019
4,774
10,355
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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.
 
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
 
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
 
May 15, 2017
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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.
 

gingernuts

binlicker
Apr 25, 2018
1,825
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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"
 
Jan 18, 2002
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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.
 
Jun 6, 2000
33,187
59,556
West Perth
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Woomera Centrals, Jazza
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

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 14, 2003
5,062
5,788
AFL Club
Richmond
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.
 
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.
 
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