Shot fired at Ringwood North home of Collingwood's Travis ClokeAnthony Dowsley | May 21, 2009
A SHOT has been fired into the home of Collingwood star Travis Cloke. It is believed the young Magpie was alone at home when a bullet shattered an upstairs window of his family's Ringwood North house.
Cloke, who was bashed by a thug on the Sunshine Coast in the off-season, is being counselled daily over the terrifying turn his life has taken.
He lives at home with his dad, David, and mum Julie.
Police are investigating the shooting, along with a spiteful note left in the letterbox.
The note, which is believed to slander Cloke's sister, was handed to police and is being analysed by experts.
Collingwood chief executive Gary Pert confirmed the shooting: "We are aware of the incident and all the details and we are certainly involved in helping and supporting Travis and the Cloke family deal with it."
Forensic specialists have examined the house, but it is not known if they recovered the bullet.
David Cloke refused to confirm or deny the shooting, which happened earlier this month.
"It's like those (threatening) letters written to the AFL players. The more it was publicised, the more they enjoy it," he said.
"If you have to do stuff to protect yourself, you do it.
"It shouldn't happen to anyone."
The drama comes as Cloke struggles for form and fitness with the Pies.
He was traumatised by the Sunshine Coast assault on New Year's Eve that left him with facial injuries.
A man charged with attacking Cloke died in a car accident in March.
Cloke's father said the attack may have left his 22-year-old son with mental scars.
But the key forward denied the assault had any bearing on his poor form this season.
Cloke, sidelined with a hamstring injury, has been in the worst slump of his five-year career after winning Collingwood's best and fairest award in 2007.
But the club is adamant his form slump is not linked to the shooting or the New Year's Eve assault. Cloke is said to have been remarkably resilient about both dramas.
He is receiving daily counselling from the club's sports psychologist and high-performance manager Simon Lloyd, brother of Essendon captain Matthew.
The shooting scare comes with AFL clubs increasingly concerned about the access and lack of security surrounding high-profile stars.
One of the selling points of the AFL has always been the easy interaction between players and fans at training sessions and club functions.
But with violence in the community escalating, they fear a fan may take advantage of that access and cause a player serious harm.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25514336-19742,00.html
