There are certain people you respect in AFL footy – no matter whom you support. Lenny Hayes comes to mind as does Jobe Watson, Luke Hodge and even Kevin Sheedy.
Footy is a tough game, played and coached, by tough people and the need to constantly support the culture of your club is relentless.
There simply is no place for individuals. Premierships are why footballers play and why fans go to watch. The de-stabilising effect of an individual putting themselves over the team can be enormous.
I heard a well known commentator state the other night that some clubs in the AFL competition are irrelevant and always will be, so long as they accept mediocrity from all involved with their club.
I can only assume he was talking about the teams who have not enjoyed success in terms of premierships in their history. The fact this commentator came from a club that has enjoyed much success in their history (Carlton), got me thinking further about this notion of club culture and I started to consider the plight of Collingwood and the ongoing Travis Cloke saga.
I wondered where Cloke currently sits on the respect-meter with footy fans, teammates and administrators of the footy world and within his own club. That’s when I realised we have all been looking at this debate about Cloke from the wrong angle.
No-one begrudges a player trying to earn what they think they are worth from their employer. No-one should have a problem with him considering offers from other employers. Forget about his form or the perceived behaviour of the club and his management over the issue. The real issue, it seems, lies in Cloke’s consideration, or perceived lack of it, for his current club. As Nathan Buckley stated last week – both Cloke and Collingwood’s brands have been tarnished somewhat during this.
Collingwood fans know all too well what happens to a club and their performances when an individual won’t make a decision about their future. Look at 2011 and the Pies. Clearly the best side throughout the year, yet they came into the finals in poor form but somehow managed to win two nail-biting games, only to be found wanting for character when it really counted. The core of the problem at the club was never addressed until the Sunday night after the grand final loss when the de-stabilising individual cleaned out their desk and left.
Now it seems it is happening again. Definition of insanity, anyone? So where to from here? If we are to believe the rumours, then the deal has already been done and his re-signing will be announced shortly. The concern is to the terms and residual fall out for others. That’s the culture hit.
Geelong learnt their lesson with the Gary Ablett affair and won’t make the same mistake again. A club must stand for something or it means nothing. Collingwood and Cloke must get it done quickly – one way or the other so everybody, including the fans, knows where they stand. Unfortunately the damage may have already been done.
Paul
Guest
Welcome to the wonderful world of free agency. Over here in America, we've been having this fun since the mid-70's thanks to that cheapskate, Charles O. Finley. You might as well get used to this speculation, it's going to be part of your footy life for several years. Yet, over time, the newness will wear off until everyone connected with footy - players, coaches, administrators, fans - will be like "Oh, ______ is a free agent, this year." As for your assertion (and press speculation) that Mick's impending departure cost the Pies a flag, that ignores certain facts. Such as mounting injuries, overwhelming expectations, fatigue and simple bad luck.
Scrim
Guest
It is strange that in the USA where free agency has been a long established notion in professional sports, approaching free agency is usually seen as a year when a player performs at their best. It is during their "contract year" that they strive to show that they are worth the big bucks for their next contract... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_year_phenomenon). I could see this same phenomenon becoming commonplace in AFL as players an fans get used to the idea of free agency... but maybe this phenomenon mainly applies to midlevel players. Proven superstars, who know their next contract is going to be monstrous no matter what may drop from their superstar levels of production (eg Lebron James' playoff meltdown two seasons ago, Dwight Howard now)
Richard
Roar Guru
Let's face it, AFL is a truly professional sporting league these days and with the introduction of "free agency" this sort of speculation about players' future is going to become the norm rather than the exception. So we'd better get used to it. Footy clubs in the old VFL days traded off this club loyalty stuff and got away with grossly under-rewarding players as a result. I agree with you that Travis Cloke has every right to negotiate the best deal for himself that he can get. He also has the right to take as long as he likes, while he is still covered by a current contract. I'd certainly like to see Travis sign sooner rather than later but, however long it takes, I doubt that the Collingwood club or its players will allow this speculation to affect their football performance. If they were to do so, then they would have to seriously question and re-examine their professionalism. And I don't believe for one minute that the press speculation about Mick cost the 'Pies the premiership last year. I think it was a combination of mounting injuries, season fatigue and a powerful performance by a great opponent that did the trick.