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In 2012, Travis Cloke re-signed with Collingwood. A lucrative five-year deal worth $800,000 a year, the contract came with strict performance-based clauses for the final year.
Firstly, there were conditions within the first few years that would (or would not) activate that fifth year.
Secondly, his form, or lack thereof, would set a pay scale for the final year. Despite being horribly out of form, which meant being dropped to the VFL last week, Cloke has still satisfied the contractual conditions to get his fifth year with Collingwood activated.
However, his worth has severely decreased. Even if Cloke stays with Collingwood for 2017, he will be paid significantly less money, possibly even as much as half the $800,000 he’s currently pulling in.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that Collingwood have already discussed Cloke as trade bait at the end of the year. Given his form funk and how open and free-flowing Collingwood played against Essendon (Round 5) without him as their forward focus, it may well be a triple positive – Collingwood, Cloke and the club he ends up at could all benefit greatly from him moving on.
So, where could he end up?
At 29, Cloke’s best playing years are probably behind him. That said, he’s not suffering from any long-nagging injury. He’s relatively fit. He’s definitely tradeable. A re-birth of sorts, a new club, new environment, new coach, could see him play his best years somewhere else.
Sure, he has his faults, most notably inaccurate kicking, inconsistent marking and contested possessions, which is all notably linked to a lack of confidence.
No doubt, and not many would argue the fact, when Travis Cloke gets it right, when he’s “on,” he’s as good as any key-forward in the competition. The switch just has to be flicked. Right now, he’s disconnected!
Logically, a non-Victorian club would be the best fit for him. There’d be less pressure than playing with a Victorian side, and far, far less pressure than playing for Collingwood.
With Fremantle’s injury woes continuing, and with thirty-four-year-old Matthew Pavlich now their only Cloke-like forward, it’s not a bad assumption to think that Fremantle might be interested in getting Cloke in purple!
Prior to re-signing with Collingwood, Fremantle were very interested in Cloke, reportedly offering him a million dollars a year to go west. He preferred to stay where he was, with Collingwood, in Victoria, with family, with mates.
Fast forward four years, the Dockers are zero wins from five games and Travis Cloke is playing in the VFL. Fremantle’s 2016 season is in tatters and their own star-forward (Pavlich) will more than likely hang up his boots at the end of the year.
Change is all in the timing, and the timing now seems right. Cloke as a Pavlich replacement doesn’t look like a bad fit – for everyone involved.
Will Travis Cloke play out his career with Collingwood?
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