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Travis Cloke is a bust: A Collingwood fan's lament

18th April, 2015
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Roar Guru
18th April, 2015
9
1563 Reads

Travis Cloke could have been one of the greatest power forwards to ever play in the AFL. Could have.

After years of watching him spray the ball way left, and then way right, kick after kick, miss after miss, I’ve realised that Cloke has no desire to be remembered as one of the greats.

The greatest full forwards in AFL history dominated the contest – and if they weren’t dominating, they were trying to dominate.

If they weren’t in the game, they would force themselves into the game. They wanted the ball in their hands, they wanted to have the kick after the siren, because they knew they were great.

When I look at Cloke, I see none of the above desires. And it’s gone way beyond his poor goal-kicking record.

This couldn’t have been clearer against St Kilda on Friday night. Cloke ended the night with 5.4, with three goals coming from the goal square when the game had already been won. He also missed three relatively easy set shots that had every Collingwood fan’s face in their hands.

No one in the Magpie Army would want Travis Cloke to have the ball in his hands with the game on the line. And to some degree, I don’t even think he wants the ball himself.

Between 2011 and 2013 Cloke was arguably the best forward in the game. He would mark everything. He demanded the ball. He intimidated opposition.

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Fans were pondering whether Lance Franklin or Cloke was the more valuable full forward. In 2015, if you put those two names in the same sentence, people laugh at you.

In 219 games, Cloke has kicked 398 goals and 327 behinds. Franklin has played 206 games for 665 goals and 475 behinds.

Jack Riewoldt has played 159 games and kicked 387 goals – that’s almost the same as Cloke in 50 fewer games. And Nick Riewoldt – who has also gone through his own accuracy issues – has 622 goals in 283 games.

Buddy is an athletic freak who can kick a goal from anywhere. Nick Reiwoldt and Jonathon Brown are sensational leaders. Matthew Pavlich is the man for the clutch play.

What attribute does Cloke have that we can consistently identify week in, week out. Sure, he knows how to cover the ground well. He works hard and tries his best. He knows how to take a contested grab once a game and has been incredibly durable throughout his career.

But Cloke is part of an exclusive group that players do not want to be part of.

It’s the group of players who have all the potential in the world, all the physical gifts, the best facilities and resources available, yet can’t elevate themselves to superstar status.

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Cloke is turning 29 this year, so I don’t know if he’ll kick 600 goals by the end of his career. If that is the case, do we officially rule Travis Cloke as a bust?

I don’t know the answer, but it’s a damn shame to even be searching for it.

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