Travis Cloke

[Nuffsaid]

It's not surprising at all! His mindset was obvious when the blame game started, rather than owning his own shit form. Ageing footballers only get by if their brain speed compensates for physical decline.Not applicable. A very good player who peaked when we needed him to. But finished.

 

[Nuffsaid]

Similar but I think Hawkins has much more game sense.

Hawkins just younger. Just as dumb. Will be done within 18 months.

 

[The Dawes]

He moves and has the agility of a mack truck these days.

never had great agility to begin with, he could move well in straight lines but laterally, forget about it.

he always had his strengths and limitations but sadly now the latter far outweigh the former.

 

[Quicky]

The game changed and Cloke was not able to change with it. Whether that was inability or lack of interest in changing, is moot by now.

It's only passed him by because he got lazy. Take the GWS game last year. He got on his bike, bossed it, and was as effective as he's ever been. He's done to Doggies what he did to us, sucked em in to a contract while he is taking it easy. Ours cost more though!

 

[The Plowking]

Honestly wish we kept him, and i think we would be better with him.

His 2 best seasons were 2011 when he dominated as a CHF and in 2013 when he dominated deeper at FF.

He honestly should be playing deep right now trying to aim for 2 goals a game(which i think is currently is a good return for a key forward in the modern game), he averaged that in 2014/15 whilst copping criticism, but i think thats still possible for him, he just wont be kicking 5-7 goals a game anymore.

I think in our side deep, he could kick 1-2 a game maybe kicking 30-35 a season, which right now would be great.

Faark no.
1 goal a game and a demoralising 3 in the full and 2 behinds.
Watch those teammate heads drop after the 3rd easy miss.
Our accuracy is shiiite enough at it is.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

I'm surprised. I admit I thought he'd KILL it at the Bulldogs.

Maybe he really just is done with footy. I don't thin kit's that the game has passed him by, Hawkins still does ok and he's basically the same type of player.

Hawkins is 2 years younger though. And hes a better fit at Geelong than Cloke was ever going to be at the Dogs

What I am stunned at is that so many people thought he'd be a good fit at the Dogs.

They won the flag with exactly the lineup and game plan that excluded the Cloke types......plus they had Redpath and Crameri to return, not to mention Jong who missed out on selection, as well as Boyd who was a fill-in ruckman but was really recruited as a key forward.

 

[MyManLynch]

Contested marking beast...not so much these days.
Gut running tall forward...not so much these days.

I just think that his body can no longer keep up with the vigorous demands (his game style).
It seemed to happen (his decline) very quickly.
I personally was confident he would turn it around last year...but no...
Looks as though he is now in the twilight of his career.
Had a fantastic few years for us & helped deliver a Premiership.
Will be a Collingwood life member.

 

[Finnishpie]

Sorry for the intrusion to your board, I come in peace. I am a big fan of Grundy and although I don't like any other team Collingwood are well down the list of my most hated.

Anyway, let's get down to business. Halfway through the season I'm firmly in the 'Cloke is cooked' camp. He does not fit in with our gamestyle at all. His forward pressure isn't enough. He can't take enough grabs to link our attacking chains or help our (frankly pathetic) forward 50 entries. He's no better a back up ruck than players 5cm smaller. He might kick 2 goals a game here and there but they'll be spectacular bombs outside 50 that lift the crowd but don't do much else. His second efforts are weak, he looks like he'd rather someone else did the work.


The reason I'm here is to ask what went wrong ? How did a bloke go from AA premiership forward to cooked before his 30th birthday without serious injury?

I really want to him to play VFL the rest of the year. Nothing personal, seems like a lovely bloke , but footy has passed him by.

Would any of you have him back at the Pies? That's a serious question Btw, I realise we aren't going to get a refund after 30 days

In my opinion, there are two factors:

1. The most important is the change in the way the game is played. When Cloke was elite, he was a beast and a brilliant contested mark. But nowadays forward lines have to be quick and work up and down the ground and apply pressure -- i.e. They're mobile. Cloke' problem is that he barely would fit into anyone's game play, because they've changed.

2. After more than 10 years playing as a key forward I think he's athletic attributes are in decline. Many centre-half-forwards were cooked by his age. Brereton once said that by about 28 his vertical leap had halved (or something like that).

 

[sr36]

Contested marking beast...not so much these days.
Gut running tall forward...not so much these days.

I just think that his body can no longer keep up with the vigorous demands (his game style).
It seemed to happen (his decline) very quickly.
I personally was confident he would turn it around last year...but no...
Looks as though he is now in the twilight of his career.
Had a fantastic few years for us & helped deliver a Premiership.
Will be a Collingwood life member.

Before 2012, he was a gut running, long leading chf, who took a lot of contested marks - significantly most of those were on the lead or one on ones as the result of lots of gut running.
After 2012, he became a bulked up stay at home full forward. He was still good enough to be All Australian in 2013, but ultimately the new style that he'd adopted didn't suit his strengths - one on one marking and long leading. and it also doesn't suit the modern game.

 

[Markfs]

Sorry for the intrusion to your board, I come in peace. I am a big fan of Grundy and although I don't like any other team Collingwood are well down the list of my most hated.

Anyway, let's get down to business. Halfway through the season I'm firmly in the 'Cloke is cooked' camp. He does not fit in with our gamestyle at all. His forward pressure isn't enough. He can't take enough grabs to link our attacking chains or help our (frankly pathetic) forward 50 entries. He's no better a back up ruck than players 5cm smaller. He might kick 2 goals a game here and there but they'll be spectacular bombs outside 50 that lift the crowd but don't do much else. His second efforts are weak, he looks like he'd rather someone else did the work.


The reason I'm here is to ask what went wrong ? How did a bloke go from AA premiership forward to cooked before his 30th birthday without serious injury?

I really want to him to play VFL the rest of the year. Nothing personal, seems like a lovely bloke , but footy has passed him by.

Would any of you have him back at the Pies? That's a serious question Btw, I realise we aren't going to get a refund after 30 days

if you throw in jake stringer, we'll get one loser and one potential loser off your list... offer valid until end of december

 

[Markfs]

talking about travis.... i'm amazed how well levi casboult is kicking at goal at the moment.

he seems to have naturally changed his action. In contrast, Travis seemed to do that peculiar thing with his foot before he started his run-up, like he was remembering a "program" that he had been loaded with.... like some form of autobot.

but at any rate, Travis is thriving at the dogs

"DAVID Cloke has lashed Nathan Buckley, saying his son Travis was thriving at the Western Bulldogs because of coach Luke Beveridge and the game plan."

 

[robertg22]

but at any rate, Travis is thriving at the dogs

"DAVID Cloke has lashed Nathan Buckley, saying his son Travis was thriving at the Western Bulldogs because of coach Luke Beveridge and the game plan."

Before that article he was averaging 16 disposals and 2 goals a game. Since then? 10 disposals, 0.5 goals per game. Thanks Cloke Sr!

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

"DAVID Cloke has lashed Nathan Buckley, saying his son Travis was "insert adjective here" at the Western Bulldogs because of coach Luke Beveridge and the game plan."

EFA

 

[pablo disco bar]

Played his one and only good game for the dogs against us!! Was always gonna happen

 

[Markfs]

Before that article he was averaging 16 disposals and 2 goals a game. Since then? 10 disposals, 0.5 goals per game. Thanks Cloke Sr!

well bevo has only dropped him once so far.....evidently travis reduces his output after every stint in the twos

 

[Markfs]

the thing that worries me about travis is whether he's getting enough money to update the harley that he keeps in the lounge room...

 

[Markfs]

2018 - career change - male model

 

[Markfs]

travis is so much on the outer at the dogs, that even the Dogs support staff are using fake moustaches to hide the fact that they're talking to him....

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Played his one and only good game for the dogs against us!! Was always gonna happen

It wasnt that great. The clutch goal made his game look better than it really was.

 

[Countrypie]

My 2 cents.
Cloke was awful last year. Absolutely awful. He either didn't care or couldn't operate at previous levels. In all honesty he has been in steady decleine since 2013 and I wondered why the Bulldogs would bother.
He's never going to be considered "smart" and he seems to be only capable of playing one style of play.
I loved his effort and commitment for most of his time at Collingwood, but never considered him an out and out star. Even in his very best years he would let the team down at clutch moments (People conveniently forget the goals he missed in the first GF in 2010).
At lower levels where there isn;t such commitment to team defence and two way running Cloke would still be a challenging prospect, but his body has detiorated and unlike some other older statesman of the game he hasn't got the brain to adapt his game

 

[Black_White]

Hawkins just younger. Just as dumb. Will be done within 18 months.

Don't disagree.
But Hawkins career will be extended because the umps don't penalise him for ragdolling opponents.
If the same rules were applied to Cloke he'd be a multiple 100 goal kicker.

 

[Vicky Park]

Don't disagree.
But Hawkins career will be extended because the umps don't penalise him for ragdolling opponents.
If the same rules were applied to Cloke he'd be a multiple 100 goal kicker.

Yes, I was also about to post something along the lines of Cloke being double- and triple-teamed for years, knocked constantly by knees and elbows, and endless wrestling with opponents. How would any 'body' stand up to that kind of punishment over 12 or so years? The big man has run out of puff.

 

[The Plowking]

Don't disagree.
But Hawkins career will be extended because the umps don't penalise him for ragdolling opponents.
If the same rules were applied to Cloke he'd be a multiple 100 goal kicker.

if by 100 you mean 43.68, 75 on the full, I agree.

 

[Saintly Viewed]

Poor guy, the cliff has come.
I just think his great point of difference, contested marking has declined.
He's spent, and lacks football smarts to survive longer.

Not even his special one, Bevo, can make him young again.

My theory with the fogs is they committed to him pre winning the flag, thinking he'd be the missing link.

Then they were too proud to back away after winning the flag.

Still Bevo can do Bevo things and it wall all be good again....
Nope, not going to happen

 

[regpies]

The game has changed too much, Travis' time is up. Funny to think how it was all Bucks fault last year, who is to blame this year? Someone get old man Cloke on the phone and ask him.

He would've been perfect to play an Alastair Lynch style game where he didn't go more than 30m from goal and wrestled for position to take a mark or get a free as he got older. Those days are gone, pressure and tackling is almost more important than kicking goals.