Collingwood legends Tony Shaw and Mick McGuane have urged Travis Cloke to re-sign ASAP

COLLINGWOOD greats Tony Shaw and Mick McGuane have urged Travis Cloke to put the club's premiership assault ahead of his quest for a bigger contract.

COLLINGWOOD greats Tony Shaw and Mick McGuane have urged Travis Cloke to put the club's premiership assault ahead of his quest for a bigger contract.

Shaw and McGuane both believe Cloke will eventually re-sign with the Magpies, but say the longer the saga drags on the more it will become a distraction for the side.

But Collingwood team of the century member Des Tuddenham doesn't think contract negotiations are affecting Cloke's form, believing instead that the forward is suffering because of the Magpies' game plan.

Collingwood and Cloke's management team of Ralph Carr and his father David are at an impasse.

The 25-year-old was expected to re-sign last week before president Eddie McGuire departed for London to cover the Olympic Games for Channel 9.

Shaw said he did not understand why the deal had not been done.

"I think everybody wants him to re-sign, I think it has become a distraction," Shaw said yesterday.

"I don't know what's holding them back. Someone has got to give leeway here, but the club is bigger than the individual."

Cloke has kicked only six goals in the past four matches and averaged only 10 possessions and three marks a game in that time.

McGuane said Cloke's form would not necessarily improve after signing a new contract.

"But it just eliminates the discussion," he said.

Tuddenham said Cloke was struggling to make an impact because he was constantly being double-teamed.

"Of course he's down on form, but maybe the structure of the whole team set up is making it very hard for him for him to get a bloody kick," Tuddenham said.

"As far as making a decision is concerned, I don't think it's upsetting the club's form, it's just the structure of the team."