The media that cover the AFL love a good old-fashioned scandal – always have, probably always will.
It sells newspapers and encapsulates audiences around the nation each night, but it also causes undue stress on the footballers and their families.
Travis Cloke and Dane Swan were two players at the centre of one such scandal when Woman’s Day magazine published nude photos of the footballers.
Travis’ brother Jason, a footballer himself who played 76 games for Collingwood, spoke of the effect these photos had on his family.
“I am a builder and I went to a job site at the start of the year and I had a client tell me when those nude photos came out ‘your brother is an absolute disgrace to your family’.” Cloke told Lace Out Podcast.
“Travis has been told by a lot of lawyers that he should have taken legal action but he’s the sort of bloke that says ‘shit happens’ and moves on.”
Travis Cloke is certainly no stranger to media scrutiny and it is something he has had to deal with his whole life.
But it has increased ten-fold over the past twelve months with the star forward out of form and often languishing in the VFL.
“He is a star player that is out of form, who gets paid good money to kick goals and he has not been doing that to his full potential.
“But there are a lot of guys at other AFL clubs not getting kicks.”
It is not a surprise that Travis Cloke is under the microscope – you get that when you are a marquee player at the biggest club in the land.
But given the mental health issues gripping many footballers these days, perhaps the media should also report the positive stories.
“It is amazing how much negative publicity they put in the papers.
“Travis on his day off goes to the children’s hospital and sits with different kids for an hour, or does this at a school or goes down to my kid’s AusKick.
“You never see any positive things in the paper these days, it’s always about the negatives.”
So where to from here with the football career of Travis Cloke?
He is clearly out of favour with coach Nathan Buckley but at 29 years of age he still has the potential of a couple more good seasons.
There is also a division in opinion on whether his demotion to the reserves has been warranted with many supporters believing he has been made the scapegoat for the Magpies’ poor form as a team.
He has also been playing sore and was unable to feel one side of his body during a game a couple of weeks ago due to receiving an epidural in his spine.
His brother Jason can see the positives in a change of scenery but says that ultimately the ball is in Collingwood’s court.
“Travis is the sort of bloke in that he is quite loyal.
“He got offered a lot of money to go to another club four years ago and didn’t want to go.
“You look at other clubs and players like Jarrod Waite and their careers have blossomed.
“It goes down to what Collingwood wants to do, if they don’t want him then it makes his decision easy.”
richo
Guest
Clokeys a terrific bloke off field and everyone including Bucks wants him to do well. Its just a matter of always picking best team to play and unfortunately Trav's form hasnt been great.
richo
Guest
understand your frustration but Bucks had no luck mate, stick with him because he is a supurb tactition and a great foorty brain. He may not be as touchy feely as Mick was but neither is Clarkson or Longmire and theyve done alright. A lot of our players have improved under Bucks: Blair/Sidebottom/Grundy/Williams/Moore/Brown/Reid just to name a few and some have fallen away like Clokey/Witts/White. We have had a dissapointing season with injuries and so have Freo so it does affect the team. Next year we will be finalists no probs and will have a golden period with Bucks as coach...it took Clarkson a few years to get Hawks on track dont forget
bretto
Guest
Or maybe Buckley should go and we'll see if another coach can get the best out of Cloke and the other 20 players that have gone backwards under Buckley. Seriously, name 3 players that are better now than they were before being coached by Buckley. I'm a pies supporter / depressive.
Gecko
Guest
Yes, off field he's handled the media attention well.
annie
Guest
Credit where credit is due, Cloke has carried himself with dignity during this season, given the microscope he has been under. He's been respectful to those reporters constantly asking him if he's finished, whilst remaining optimistic & never bagging the club.
Gecko
Guest
It'd be a win-win if Trav found another club at the end of 2016. Mason Cox and Moore have gone past him this year so from 2016 he'll only ever be a back-up at the Pies.
BigAl
Guest
Wasn't that photo business a bit of sheer stupiidity on his part ?
Benny
Guest
As a family supporting Collingwood, it has been SO frustrating and difficult to understand why has not improved his goal kicking. He has been a well paid full time professional footballer for many years now but his goal kicking has not improved. Our biggest fear that in the 2010 Grand Final, we would be 3 points down, Travis takes a mark 20-30 out in front of the goals and the siren goes. We couldn't look at the kick. Surely somewhere, somehow his goal kicking should have improved. On his salary, surely it should have been a top priority for him.