Could Carlton entice a Malthouse-Cloke combo?
Posted by Brent DiamondJul 4. 2012 2:25 pm
THE longer Collingwood forward Travis Cloke puts off contact negotiations, the more interesting the script becomes.
Just imagine this scenario: Carlton sack coach Brett Ratten at the end of the season and in comes Mick Malthouse.
Wouldn’t that just throw a spanner in the works of Cloke’s plans? Malthouse would no doubt attempt to entice Cloke to Visy Park.
And despite the Pies being confident of retaining Cloke on a four year deal, there may well be some emotional tie to Malthouse for Cloke and that may well change the scenery and perhaps enhance their premiership credentials.
Yes, Fremantle will bid high for Cloke, but it has never seriously been a factor given Cloke has suggested that he doesn’t like to travel every week and that is almost what the Dockers do on almost a fortnightly basis.
So Ratten’s job or loss of job may in fact open a can of worms for the Blues.
Imagine having Cloke up there with an up and going Jarrad Waite. Certainly it would soften any blows that Blues fans faced when losing key forward Josh Kennedy to West Coast as part of the Chris Judd deal.
At the start of the season, some football pundits believed that a player such as Cloke would put the icing on the cake for a flag for the Blues. Since their glossy start, things have gone from bad to worse with injuries and some playing personnel that are clearly not up to it.
We wonder now that if the Blues were to get a Malthouse-Cloke combination, would it mean that they would become instant flag favourites once more? Or has this flurry of losses shown more gaps to fill? Perhaps a lack of pace in the midfield? Lack of depth in defence?
We will await with interest to see if in fact Ratten survives for the rest of the season. Perhaps that will be determined as soon as this Friday night against the Malthouse’s old mob, the Pies. And maybe then, they will see first hand what Cloke might do if he arrives.
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Tags: Brett Ratten, Carlton, Collingwood, Mick Malthouse, Travis Cloke
Filled under: Carlton, Clubs, Latest News
One Person has left comments on this post
Could they pay for him in the salary cap along with Judd?