The Tackle: Collingwood has stopped kicking it to Travis Cloke, hard to read enigmatic Blues
THERE’S a simple reason Collingwood’s Travis Cloke isn’t kicking goals — his teammates aren’t kicking it to him. RELIVE ROBBO’S LIVE CHAT
Mark Robinson
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TRAVIS Cloke’s big day out is looming
But it’s no surprise it didn’t come on Saturday against the West Coast Eagles.
Cloke is a stress head. He’s told us that. If he drops a mark early in the game it plays on his mind. If he misses a goal early, it plays on his mind.
ROUND 10: SUPERCOACH STUDS AND DUDS
God knows what was on his mind as he tried to prepare for the Eagles match after his father, David, lobbed a grenade into the Collingwood camp.
In an intriguing interview with the Herald Sun’s Jay Clark, David said his son shouldn’t be blamed for his poor form and instead the blame should be placed on Collingwood’s midfielders for their clearance numbers, lack of line breakers and general ball movement.
If Cloke stresses about a dropped mark, then he would’ve felt more than a trifle awkward confronting his teammates after Dad’s comments.
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On the back of all this, he’s in a frightful form slump.
On Saturday, he had to deal with some poor entries and finished with six kicks, three marks, one important fourth-quarter goal and two tackles.
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He has 10 goals from nine matches and taken just 50 marks.
This time last year he had 26 goals and 83 marks.
Perhaps Cloke is struggling with a change of philosophy under coach Nathan Buckley.
In 2013, Cloke was the target inside 50m 39 per cent of the time.
This year, he is the target 29.7 per cent of the time.
Against the Eagles, he was the target just three times. The players went to Jarrod Witts and Jesse White four times, and Cloke and Jamie Elliott three times.
In the weeks before that, Cloke was the target 12 times against Adelaide and 13 times against Carlton.
Perhaps Saturday was one out of the box in terms of the Pies using Cloke, but clearly the numbers tells us Collingwood are spreading their entries.
Still, at about $800,000 a season, Cloke is underperforming more than Tom Scully.
But talk of dropping him to the VFL is ludicrous.
The Magpies are performing adequately without his strong contribution. That, of course, will have to change.
The Pies will find to difficult to finish top four without Cloke playing productive footy. The youngish defence has stood the test, the midfield is elite, all-over pressure is strong, leaving the key forward posts as the major concern.
Who knows when Ben Reid will return, White can be hit and miss, and Cloke is missing more than he’s hitting.
The positive is the Magpies are in sixth spot, and face St Kilda, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs over the next three weeks, before confronting Hawthorn in Round 14.
The other key forward with a question mark is North Melbourne’s Majak Daw.
Can’t say his big day out is looming, though.
He’s only played 10 games of footy and for all his gathering highlight reel, the young man probably needs to go back to the VFL and continue his development
Bluntly, he lacks urgency. In the air he’s a real presence, on the ground he is a real liability and in high intensity games — which is just about every week in today’s football — Daw’s inability to get in the flow of the game is a problem.
It’s not the end of the world if the spotlight is on Daw because, really, the spotlight is on all Kangaroo players.
Daw’s lack of urgency and footy nous pales when you consider the form of Drew Petrie and topsy-turvy attitude from the team. From the first half to the second half on Friday night we saw the good and bad from North Melbourne.
That gap has to get smaller and, at the moment, Daw is the least of the problems.
ENIGMATIC BLUES
That’s four from five from Carlton, but still don’t know if they are coming or going.
The Blues might not know either.
Every week we get a revised situation report via coach Mick Malthouse.
After different games this year, the Blues have been underdone (Richmond), embarrassing (Essendon), humiliating and need of a major list overhaul (Melbourne), stoic (West Coast) and “carrying too many passengers” (Collingwood).
Last night, after beating Adelaide, Malthouse said, among other things: “We did have a lot of players coming off surgery. It’s difficult to master intensity without a pre-season. We’re building.”
So, now the season and the team is taking shape.
Give them credit, the Blues are a game from the finals.
They play Brisbane, Geelong, Hawthorn and GWS over the next month. They should win two, and if they scrape a third, finals are not beyond them
Not that last night’s performance was a classic example from either team.
The first half was abysmal, with skill errors and turnovers, and the second half was a desperate situation because the margin never got over three goals.
Still, there was a lot to like from the Blues.
Dale Thomas was a key player and kicked an important goal in the final term. His kicking has been an issue and his celebration was of a man primed for his new club.
He stood under an up-and-under from Brock McLean, out-marked Matthew Jaensch and slotted home from 45m.
It was his moment and he responded, and in a tight game it was a pivotal moment.
Others were also pivotal. Kade Simpson is shaping as another strong All-Australian contender, Troy Menzel is doing his best Chad Wingard impersonation as a high half-forward and suddenly Bryce Gibbs is putting together the type of consistent footy which demands a four-year deal from the Blues.
Andrejs Everitt took care of Rory Sloane, Chris Yarran barnstormed his way across the MCG, Sam Docherty kicked two wonderful goals in the third term and Sam Rowe continues to stand up at the back.
What the Blues can be is a dangerous opponent.
Their problem is they can be dangerous to themselves because their focus can be inconsistent, which is similar to the commentary after almost every game this year.
Their next test is to beat either the Hawks or the Cats. If they can snatch one of them, then we’ll believe they are indeed building.
LIKES
1. Collingwood. Lose two key defenders, get beaten in most important stats categories, yet eke out a gritty win against West Coast. The Eagles will blame themselves, but that undersells Collingwood’s effort. These games are looked back on as season-shaping and further evidence this team plays for the coach and for each other. It helps with Scott Pendlebury in the middle (32 disposals and nine clearances), Jamie Elliott jumping out of his skin and Tyson Goldsack supplying the versatility to play key defence.
2. Chad Wingard. Every so often a player comes along and takes hold of the competition. He did that last year. This year he’s gone to another level, which makes him a top 10 player of the competition. He was taken at Pick No. 6. Before him were Jonathon Patton, Stephen Coniglio, Dom Tyson, Will Hoskin-Elliott and Matt Buntine. Of the rest, Brad Hill (No. 33), Luke Dahlhaus (No. 70) and Luke Breust (No. 77) were the better bargains, but there’s no denying Wingard, if the 2011 draft was rewritten, would go No. 1. Just loved his double baulk and goal.
3. Jack. Humble in the post-match interview with Big Baz on Fox Footy and Riewoldt said all the right things. It wasn’t about his 11 goals, it was about the team and what he had to do to regain its respect. As an aside, how much fun was it watching a full-forward kick a bag of goals?
4. Nick Maxwell. A Tackle favourite, Maxwell is enjoying perhaps a career-best season, which makes talk of him playing his last year all sorts of nonsense. He started his pre-season a month before he was expected to return and the results are evident. His interaction with teammate Alex Fasolo on Saturday shows what football means to him and while some people didn’t like it, others thought it was a strong leadership. I’m with the latter. One more thing, can someone take ownership of Steele Sidebottom when he rolls back for the plus one? He’s killing it.
5. Andrejs Everitt. Had Rory Sloane for the game, kept him to 18 possessions and laid seven tackles, the last of which was the game-winner. Exhausted at the end, he ran with Sloane from about 50m away to be at the contest, and pulled Sloane from his kick. There were others who were mighty, namely Kade Simpson, but as a role player, Everitt was terrific. Now, can he be Carlton’s run-with player? Next week it’s Brisbane and he could go to Tommy Rockliff.
6. Dion Prestia. It’s about time clubs put some time into this young man. While G. Ablett gets the attention every week, Prestia has been able to take his game to a phenomenal level. Among his nine games this season he’s had 32, 32, 27, 32, 28, 28 and yesterday a game-high 35. Ablett, O’Meara, Bennell, Prestia, Swallow and a resurgent Zac Smith shape as formidable. By the way, every time I look at O’Meara, I wonder why the Bombers didn’t agree to trade Jake Carlisle to GWS for one of their picks in the mini-draft for 17-year-olds pre-listed by the Giants. Maybe they could’ve got pick No. 1 and O’Meara would’ve been a Bomber.
7. Liam Picken. Kept Gazza to 24 possessions, the equal to his lowest tally this season. He harassed Ablett to the point where Ablett responded with physical force. It was unlike Ablett, and it will be one of the biggest talking points from the weekend. Picken, however, should get top votes in the club B&F.
8. Jimmy and Kel. Surely Joel Selwood carried in an injury, which meant he played large periods forward. It allowed the old campaigners, Bartel and Kelly, to move from the forward line (Bartel) and back line (Kelly) into the midfield. For some reason, there wasn’t responsibility from the Kangaroos for these two and when the whips were cracking in the first quarter, Bartel and Kelly, along with Tom Hawkins, were the most influential players. What chaps they are.
9. Jordan Lewis. We keep telling him on AFL360 he’s the next captain of the Hawks and he keeps ignoring the suggestion. No matter, because he plays like one. Undermanned and on the road, but Lewis was awesome in the middle. Thirty-eight touches, nine clearances, a couple of goals, a couple of fights. He’s become a big-time player in high-intensity games, and clearly is their next skipper.
10. Shane Crawford. What a moment for Crawf and for the beleaguered Aldinga Sharks. That’s what footy is all about.
DISLIKES
1. Gazza elbow. Reminiscent of Judd on Pavlich. However this time, can’t see Ablett getting off. It’s behind play which makes it intentional. Even if it’s considered in-play — which it can’t be — it’s got to be reckless. Throwing back an elbow into a chest/head cannot be negligent. Gaz has to be in trouble, which is a pity because he had his third Brownlow Medal already around his neck. We all know the Judd decision was wrong. And we all know, deep down, Gazza did the wrong thing as well. It’s a shame a moment of frustration will likely cost him a revered place in history.
2. GWS. Played like witches hats against a side which had been playing like witches hats. There are clear problems at GWS. Missed some key defenders and that’s why Jeremy Cameron started in defence — a weird decision, mind you — but that cannot excuse the lack of effort. Contested possession was 135-99. The Tigers had 100 more possessions, 15 contested marks to one, and something like 27 forward 50 marks. Consecutive 100-point losses which overlapped the bye, giving them ample time to prepare mentally and physically, made it even more distressing to compute. This shouldn’t be happening in their third season. Disconnect between players and coaches?
3. Confusion. Hannebery hits Hurley and there’s no free kick, no report and no Match Review Panel intervention. In a similar circumstance, Cooney hits Gary Ablett, Ablett gets the free kick and Cooney is on report. Wonder if the same commentary which lambasted Hurley will go after Ablett for not protecting himself?
4. Misguided praise. Heath Scotland was a terrific footballer. Brave, balanced and a club best and fairest winner. Mick Malthouse called him a role model and Dermott Brereton said he was an ornament to the game. Sorry, but getting caught up in a pub brawl doesn’t make him a role model for kids, which followed an earlier incident in his career at the casino, which also doesn’t make him a role model for kids.
5. Western Bulldogs. Becoming too familiar in the dislikes column this season. Lacked key forwards yesterday and that’s why Bob Murphy was playing full-forward. But as the Suns piled on 8.7 to 1.2 in the third quarter, the issue wasn’t the lack of forwards. Won contested ball (144-139) and tackles (76-66) but lost by 45 points. Intent is evident, game-changers are not. They have three wins from nine games, which puts them with Richmond, Melbourne and St Kilda, three teams who have been put in the furnace this season.
6. Drew Petrie. What to do about the big fella. So long the cornerstone of the Kangaroos forward line, he’s in the worst slump of his career. At 31, the critics say his career is over, but I’m not so negative. Still, he has to find a way to involve himself. Just 38 marks in nine games for 10 goals are worse numbers than Travis Cloke and Cloke has the footy world all over him. The Kangaroos have improved, but averaging 84 points for needs a spike, and so does Petrie.
7. Adelaide. Will get better because Tex Walker will soon find his feet, but there are concerns about Adelaide’s mindset. Against Collingwood, the Crows laid 93 tackles and their pressure was first-class. Against Carlton last night, it was 59. When they had the ball in their forward line, they spoiled it. The decision by Dangerfield to play on from 25m and kick a point was costly. To kick 10.16 lost them the game.
8. Free kicks. Too much latitude is being given to the ball player, who takes an eternity to get rid of the ball, sometimes by throwing it or letting it go. Then we have a situation like Everitt on Sloane last night, where the umpire blew the whistle in an instant. Luck of the draw, as they say.
TOP TWEETS
@LachlanLarsen: L: jack’s 11 and Richmond on general D: having to wait another week to see if it’s real or not
@DomFavata: Like- Jack making amends in the most possibly the most outrageously perfect way. Dislike- Majak hate. #8games
@BraydenWaight: Like: Travis Boak. Currently most underrated midfielder. Dislike: Poor umpiring costing Hawkins two goals.
@emtwenty: L: Menzel D: umpiring in every game has been deplorable. No game sense.
@illcommunicate9: like: Jimmy and Kel in the middle reminding how they were clearance kings for the Catters.
@aflratings: Saturday was the best footy day of the year
@PaulTAger: Dislike: Some Tigers fans thinking a win over GWS means everything is fine again at Punt Rd
@Mihajlo1870: Like Wingards dancing moves
@boof08: Dislikes, Ablett- just play without whinging for frees. Likes, Dangerfield- smashed illegally all day, didn’t whinge once.
@BobbyBeaton16: like: J. Lewis, never gave up against port. He bleeds brown & yellow. Dislike: GWS, should’ve made most of tigs situation
@BomberBliss: L — Tom Lynch, absolute gun #flyingundertheradar D — Adelaide, brilliant 1 week, rubbish the next #gobacktoVicDanger
@ShannonBlake23: Is Chris Yarran Becoming Carlton Most Important Player?
@HBNadolny: like: @PAFC crowd at Adelaide Oval. Dislike: BT’s commentary. If you’re going to call the game get the players name right!!
@DavidZita1: Like: Bye bye ‘byes’ Dislike: How good ‘The Chad’ is #unfair
@KrisMannix: like: Nick Maxwell writing off his critics.. again!! Dislike: the bye rounds, finally over
@likeanappled: Dangerfield with the courage of 10 bears tonight. You’ll wait a long time to see a man stand up like that again
@mreichst: dislike sandersons gameplan. Tex jj pods betts and Cameron in the forward line just get it in quick
@weenr14: like @maxy_5 doing what he’s paid for and teaching his young charge how to do his job! #respect
@creighzynate: holding the call rule. Don’t reward a decent tackle, ping a guy with 3 people on him. Bad for the game
@TMacDonald_: Dislike — The channel 7 commentators ruining quality games of football. Too much ego stroking. Just call the bloody game!
@bobhead2319: dislike the flattest most boring season of AFL I can remember in my 47yrs. Not the game I grew up with.
@andrew_teasdale: dislike: 4:40 Sunday? Time to put on the roast, not go to the G. Like: Polec, greatest immediate impact of a signing ever?
@farfromfamished: Like: Wingard... Bringing the Harlem Globetrotters to the AFL. Dislike: 3 weeks of bye rounds. They’re over!!
@hawknut888: Not so much a like as an admire: Jimmy Bartel for the way he just gets it done. Not an easy thing for a Hawk fan to say.
@Shay_Pearson: likes: Everitt the tagger. Beat montagna last week, Sloan this week. Game saving tackle to boot.
@AFLBob: Like willy wonker selling candy in a port jumper #chadwingard
@Dorse17: dislikes umpires paying iffy free kicks late in close games Grundy 50,sloane incorrect disposal. Not paid 20 × a game
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