Cloke stand-off adds more fuel to fire
Posted by Brent DiamondJul 24. 2012 9:33 pm
COMMENT
COLLINGWOOD’S decision to shut down contract talks with forward Travis Cloke has fuelled further speculation that he may well be leaving the club.
The Pies have today shown a great deal of integrity to keep contract talks at bay and get Cloke to focus on his football once more amidst a form slump.
“This decision was taken with the interests of the club and Travis in mind.”
“The season at hand is everyone’s priority,” football manager Geoff Walsh said in a statement.
“And having considered all of the circumstances, it seemed the most sensible and appropriate course to suspend our negotiations until the season has been played out.”
But in a year where free agency has just begun, Cloke’s name will not disappear from those that have him on the high pecking order and clearly he is up for grabs given the Pies’ stance today.
Fremantle, Melbourne and GWS have already publicly stated their desire to get Cloke to their clubs, in excess of $1m per season being offered.
The only way of avoiding any further speculation would be for Cloke to sign the dotted line and for this to drag on until the end of the season proves one or both parties aren’t happy with the terms.
And the more Collingwood players that agree to sign up in the mean time means that Cloke’s slice of the pie will only get smaller.
When an AFL player says they want to leave their contract until the end of the season, generally they are off to another club, eg: Tom Scully. In this case, it is the club, perhaps on behalf of the player. Still the guessing games continue.
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Tags: Collingwood, Geoff Walsh, Travis Cloke
Filled under: Collingwood, Latest News
