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Let’s be honest, no one gets too excited when they hear the names of Tyrone Vickery or Travis Cloke – for all their talent, these are two players who have broken the hearts of supporters too many times to inspire a great deal of faith.
However, come the end of 2016, they could both be available on the open market, and in the right circumstances, they could both prove to be recruiting masterstrokes.
I know, I know – the above is a sentence I never through I’d write. But the last two years have opened my eyes a bit, and I doubt I’m alone here, thanks largely to the development of Jarrad Waite at North Melbourne.
Waite two years ago was in the same sort of place as Cloke is right now – no one doubting his prodigious talent, but many questioning the other aspects of his game.
He left Carlton at the end of the 2014 season, played quality footy for North Melbourne in 2015, but now at the start of 2016 we are really starting to see the decision to recruit him pay off.
Sometimes a change of scenery is just what you need, and a new coaching staff and new medical department can breathe fresh life into a player. It’s wholly possible that this could happen to Cloke or Vickery, should they decide to depart their current clubs.
Cloke is still contracted with Collingwood till the end of 2017 but one would suspect at the moment that if a suitor came calling with a reasonable offer, the Magpies would be more than willing to move him on.
He hasn’t played in their last two matches, and won’t play this week barring some sort of emergency call-up. At 29 years of age, he doesn’t look likely to be a member of Collingwood’s next premiership team.
Vickery on the other hand is a restricted free agent, meaning Richmond would have the right to match an offer if he decides to leave, but that is something that to date has not happened in the history of AFL free agency.
25-year-old Vickery is not quite in the Waite-Cloke basket just yet simply due to his age, he has plenty of time left in his career in which to hit peak form. That being said, so far across eight years and 106 games of AFL footy, he’s yet to deliver on the talent that saw him drafted at pick No.8 in 2008.
His best return for a season in front of goal is no better than 36, and that came back in 2011, one of only two seasons in which he has played at least 20 games.
Cloke himself has a bit more of a resume, kicking 196 goals between 2011 and 2013, and being named All Australian twice during that period – that said, he hasn’t managed to hit the 40-goal mark since.
So, both of these players are definitely fixer-uppers, the kind of recruits that are more likely to make their new fans stare on in horror than break into applause. But, placed in the right situation, I do believe there’s a chance for either or both to substantially lift their form and deliver on their talent.
The question is, where? The first club that comes to mind is Fremantle, simply due to their relentless desire to find some tall forwards, they would seem like the team most likely to take a chance on these two.
The Dockers pursued Cloke heavily last time he came out of contract at the end of 2012. Cloke said no at the time, but might change his tune at the end of 2016, especially if he’s still being made to play in the VFL.
Alternatively, Vickery could be a boost for them as they look to find a longer-term option and support an aging Aaron Sandilands in the ruck.
It’s a bit strange trying to imagine either of them in purple, though. But two other places they might wind up without having to make too radical a change in their colours could be Cloke at Carlton and Vickery at Hawthorn.
Now, the combination of Cloke and Casboult at the Blues would give them one of the most misfiring forward lines of all time, but the Blues could look at it as a chance to briefly boost their side’s competitiveness and give their young developing tall forwards someone with premiership experience to learn from.
And as for Vickery and the Hawks, he could provide another tall option up forward – something they’ve been lacking with David Hale retired and Jarryd Roughead injured – and contribute in the ruck, also. He’d be an upgrade on Jonathon Ceglar at least, and might relish playing in a quality side – assuming Hawthorn still are that in 2017.
Now, there’s a good chance that I’ve just made Fremantle, Carlton and Hawthorn fans all feel pretty queasy with those last few paragraphs, and fair enough.
All I can tell you is that this time two years ago I was more worried about what Jarrad Waite’s arrival could do to North Melbourne than I was about global warming, shark attacks, and male pattern baldness put together.
Sometimes, though, players can surprise you. Give them a change of scenery and some quality coaching, and Cloke or Vickery could do just that.