Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

**bulldogtragic** · 02-09-2016, 09:49 AM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Nominating the club by Cloke is great. Leaves other clubs thinking it best to steer clear if that's where his head is at, and leaves Collingwood in a bind between paying him $500,000 to play VFL next year or just make a lowly trade and keep good will with Cloke and us.

**Bornadog** · 02-09-2016, 10:19 AM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Good to see players WANT to come to us.

**Ghost Dog** · 02-09-2016, 10:41 AM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

" I want to be involved in a winning culture and a winning club" Winning!
Pies, losing!

**Cyberdoggie** · 02-09-2016, 12:25 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

I'm going to find it hard to warm to him if this does go ahead. Will somehow have to try and erase a decade of dislike from my memory.

**hujsh** · 02-09-2016, 12:44 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

If you thought we were frustrating and wasteful this year I can see it being worse next year if he's our main forward.

**1eyedog** · 02-09-2016, 02:12 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Originally posted by Cyberdoggie

I'm going to find it hard to warm to him if this does go ahead. Will somehow have to try and erase a decade of dislike from my memory.

Probably change your tune pretty quickly when he starts clunking them and kicks an early bag.

**Twodogs** · 02-09-2016, 02:37 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

That's when the self loathing begins.

**Axe Man** · 02-09-2016, 03:08 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

I like this bit:

- Wanting to "reach out" to St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt in coming weeks to try and learn to "reinvent" himself as a player;

It's pleasing that he is willing to change and hopefully lose some weight, build his tank and get up the ground like the great St Kilda Diver.

**bulldogtragic** · 02-09-2016, 03:41 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Originally posted by Axe Man

I like this bit:

It's pleasing that he is willing to change and hopefully lose some weight, build his tank and get up the ground like the great St Kilda Diver.

Yep. In one of the articles it mentioned he was still covering 15km a game. That's a huge number, add in his height and weight and that's pretty impressive. I mentioned a while back whether he could do this, like Roo or Richo did. If he can add versatility to the above, then it's worth the punt to take him. I love that he's nominated us and not played a 'I will go wherever, I just want to play footy', so some skin in the game from the get go.

**hujsh** · 02-09-2016, 03:55 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Originally posted by bulldogtragic

Yep. In one of the articles it mentioned he was still covering 15km a game. That's a huge number, add in his height and weight and that's pretty impressive. I mentioned a while back whether he could do this, like Roo or Richo did. If he can add versatility to the above, then it's worth the punt to take him. I love that he's nominated us and not played a 'I will go wherever, I just want to play footy', so some skin in the game from the get go.

If he can do that and consistently hold his marks then might he just be able to play the 2005 Robert Murphy role for this team?

He doesn't have the footskils of Murph which makes him less suited to the role but if he can be a target 50 from goal instead of us bombing it to the opposition fullback (or 3 players vs Dunkley) then I might be able to get behind him.

It also requires that he's able to apply sufficient defensive pressure.

**bulldogtragic** · 02-09-2016, 04:04 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Originally posted by hujsh

If he can do that and consistently hold his marks then might he just be able to play the 2005 Robert Murphy role for this team?

He doesn't have the footskils of Murph which makes him less suited to the role but if he can be a target 50 from goal instead of us bombing it to the opposition fullback (or 3 players vs Dunkley) then I might be able to get behind him.

It also requires that he's able to apply sufficient defensive pressure.

I think he can. In the limited times I've seen him this year at AFEL level, his issues haven't been work rate or pressure. He looks like a man shot completely of confidence. A lot of Mick Malthouses's boys have said that Mick believed in them, pumped them up and got them going to achieve their best. The same guys have said when Buckley took over his mantra was 'your professional footballers, you need to motivate yourselves'. That's a fine theory, but that's not how to get the best out of all your people. I think that's strangled Cloke in the end. Listening to Bevo last year at a function, he mentioned his personal approach and therefore the coaches approach is to identify all the sorts of personalities, how they learn (past video, archive footage for the upcoming week, one on one coaching etc), the speed they learn and how best to motivate all his players. One size doesn't always fit all, and some of Clokes comments about being under Bevo and in our culture highlights to me that if and when we can get him going, we will be a stronger team for his recruitment. Time will tell.

**Scraggers** · 02-09-2016, 04:09 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Originally posted by bornadog

Good to see players WANT to come to us.

This scares me !! Akermanis and Andrew McDougall both wanted to come to us is 2006/7, and we welcomed them with open arms. Rocket even went as far to say that we were now genuine Premiership contenders with Aker and Doogs joining our team ... That didn't work out so good. Aker played 77 games then left amid controversy, whilst Doogs only managed 5 games.

It scares me that Cloke can't do enough to stay in the first 22 at a team who hasn't played finals in three years.

I'm not saying I'm against the move; I would be willing to offer Cloke one year (whilst Redpath is injured) with performance goals to achieve contract extensions past this time. As a stop-gap measure, he is the best available.

My preference however, is what we have done for the last five years ... invest in youth. Make a play for Marchbank or another GWS / Suns player who wants to come back home. Or let our selectors / team management choose from the draft.

**josie** · 02-09-2016, 05:10 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Originally posted by Scraggers

This scares me !! Akermanis and Andrew McDougall both wanted to come to us is 2006/7, and we welcomed them with open arms. Rocket even went as far to say that we were now genuine Premiership contenders with Aker and Doogs joining our team ... That didn't work out so good. Aker played 77 games then left amid controversy, whilst Doogs only managed 5 games.

It scares me that Cloke can't do enough to stay in the first 22 at a team who hasn't played finals in three years.

I'm not saying I'm against the move; I would be willing to offer Cloke one year (whilst Redpath is injured) with performance goals to achieve contract extensions past this time. As a stop-gap measure, he is the best available.

My preference however, is what we have done for the last five years ... invest in youth. Make a play for Marchbank or another GWS / Suns player who wants to come back home. Or let our selectors / team management choose from the draft.

For all the angst he caused, including his not so salubrious departure, I thought Aker was a good acquisition for us. I was sad some of the senior players did not want him to do his handstand after a win. The game then and now needs more characters. McDougall on the other hand..., yeah, enough said.

**Bornadog** · 02-09-2016, 05:14 PM

Re: Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Originally posted by josie

For all the angst he caused, including his not so salubrious departure, I thought Aker was a good acquisition for us. I was sad some of the senior players did not want him to do his handstand after a win. The game then and now needs more characters. McDougall on the other hand..., yeah, enough said.

Aker was great for us but I think he went one season too long.

I forgive McDougall as he had issues with depression. This was something not spoken about at the time,

Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

Cloke chooses the Bulldogs

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