Legends call on Richmond to lure Travis Cloke Matt Windley
Herald Sun
October 13, 2010 RICHMOND legends implored the club to pursue disgruntled Collingwood centre half-forward Travis Cloke.
And a day after Cloke's father-cum-manager spectacularly flagged the possibility of his son leaving the Magpies, Tigers officials would not rule out a move to lure the 23-year-old to Punt Rd.
Richmond team of the century members Kevin Bartlett, Tom Hafey and Dale Weightman all supported a push to recruit Cloke, whose father David kicked 272 goals in 219 games for the Tigers.
Bartlett said Cloke would be a great foil for 2010 Coleman medallist Jack Riewoldt and had to be recruited if available.
"If Travis Cloke was in the draft, Richmond had a pick, and he was available, the Tigers would just have to take him," Bartlett said.
"You wouldn't think they'd have huge salary cap pressures ... so you'd certainly expect that they'd have room for him."
Weightman said players of Cloke's ilk were not available very often.
"He's this year's premiership centre half-forward," Weightman said.
"Good centre half-forwards are pretty hard to come by. If he comes available then I have no doubt that the club should be having a look at him."
Hafey, a four-time Tigers premiership coach, said the family connection to Tigerland made Cloke appealing.
"I think he would be fantastic for us, I was disappointed that we didn't get him and his two brothers in the first place," Hafey said.
"David was such a good player for the Tigers and I just like to hope that that contact is still there."
Cloke could demand as much as $500,000 per-season on the open market.
Richmond and Essendon would be two of a few clubs with room under their salary cap to accommodate the 2007 Copeland Trophy winner.
But with the Tigers' first pick trumping the Bombers in both drafts they would be in the box-seat to snare Cloke.
Richmond list analyst Blair Hartley said yesterday the Cloke developments had taken the club by surprise.
Football operations manager Craig Cameron said he felt Cloke would be a potential top-10 pick in the national draft should he nominate.
"I think we'd probably go a younger path, but Travis is a very good player," Cameron said on SEN.
"You'd think he'd go pretty early in the draft."s . . there's a number of clubs with multiple picks in the first round, so you couldn't imagine he'd get very far."
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