http://heraldsun.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,8585828%5E20322,00.html
Cloke focuses on new season
05 February 2004 Herald Sun
Damian Barrett
IT was a comment that bemused the football world. "This is his first Grand Final (2003), he probably played better in the last."
Poor game: Jason Cloke is outmarked by Justin Leppitsch.
The speaker was Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, the subject was Jason Cloke. Given Cloke did not play in the 2002 Grand Final it generated a lot of debate.
Cloke, though, was not fazed, even before he was assured by Malthouse that nothing sinister was intended with the comment.
"Mate, I played a **** game," he said yesterday with a force that indicated that even the harshest interpretation of his coach's words were OK by him.
Cloke read the quote two days after Brisbane had beaten his side to the premiership and while he was happy to apply one of his favourite mottos of "move on with life", his father, David, contacted his former Richmond teammate Malthouse to address the issue.
"I spoke to Mick and he said the way it was perceived in the media was not exactly how it was said," he said.
"He was more or less that I had played my game before actually the game had started.
"He (David) spoke to Mick, like he did during the year. Mick and dad played together for a lot of years and they talk before and after games during the year and at all the different functions.
"If that was said, oh well, move on with life. I played a **** game. I know that and a lot of other people know that and I think I am not the only one guilty of playing a **** one on that day.
"I move on. It was not the first time I played a bad game, it's not going to be the last time I played a bad game."
Cloke said he had dealt with the loss to Brisbane and said constant reference to it served no purpose.
"You don't worry about the game you lost against whoever on the weekend during the year, it's the same with a Grand Final. Oh well, you lost it, this is a new year, a new footy season, there are other games to look forward to and if you worry about that one all your life you are going to be living in the past," he said.
"Today is today. You have to enjoy it. I am a big believer of 'move on'. Live life to the fullest while you are here."
Much of Cloke's focus for 2004 centres on the development of his brother Cameron, who is entering his second senior season.
Cameron Cloke spent a lot of 2003 devoted to Year 12 studies. He has compiled an impressive pre-season where he has added significant bulk to his 195cm frame.
By November, there may be a third Cloke added to Collingwood's list, as the 16-year-old Travis will be eligible for selection by Collingwood under the father-son rule at the national draft.
"Having Cameron around the club is just like being home -- we drive in together and drive home together and do weights together," Jason said.
"We have our goals. We want to play together, AFL at the highest level or in the VFL or whatever, we work together and it is good having Cam around. It's probably made it a bit easier for us.
"(Cameron) has dad's build, for sure, the big legs and the big upper body. Travis is taller than Cam at the moment and it comes pretty naturally to him.
"He is the youngest of the boys and we were always brought up kicking the footy around, dragged into it with me and Cam.
"He's different to us. He is a big left-footer. He has hands absolutely huge, they wrap around the footy like anything."
Cloke this season expects to play in similar mode to 2003 -- most of the time in the backline and some of the time as a forward.
In last year's Grand Final, he started in the key forward post at centre half-forward.
"In AFL footy you have to be able to play in more than one position," Cloke said.
"That's what I will be probably doing again this year. (Before the Grand Final) I had played forward during the year a fair bit.
"(Malthouse) threw me up forward at different times and that was just the way I was going to get a game in the Grand Final the way the match-ups went and the way it came out.
"Mick decided I had done enough to get a game and thought with Pebbs (Anthony Rocca) out we had to try a few different things.
"When you lose a key forward such as Pebbs it makes it pretty hard on others. I wasn't worried where I was playing or what I was doing.
"I gave what I could and that was it."
Cloke yesterday trained with his Collingwood teammates at Telstra Stadium as part of its four-day stay in western Sydney on an AFL community camp.
-----------------------------------------------------
I like this article for so many reasons!!
Cloke focuses on new season
05 February 2004 Herald Sun
Damian Barrett
IT was a comment that bemused the football world. "This is his first Grand Final (2003), he probably played better in the last."
Poor game: Jason Cloke is outmarked by Justin Leppitsch.
The speaker was Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, the subject was Jason Cloke. Given Cloke did not play in the 2002 Grand Final it generated a lot of debate.
Cloke, though, was not fazed, even before he was assured by Malthouse that nothing sinister was intended with the comment.
"Mate, I played a **** game," he said yesterday with a force that indicated that even the harshest interpretation of his coach's words were OK by him.
Cloke read the quote two days after Brisbane had beaten his side to the premiership and while he was happy to apply one of his favourite mottos of "move on with life", his father, David, contacted his former Richmond teammate Malthouse to address the issue.
"I spoke to Mick and he said the way it was perceived in the media was not exactly how it was said," he said.
"He was more or less that I had played my game before actually the game had started.
"He (David) spoke to Mick, like he did during the year. Mick and dad played together for a lot of years and they talk before and after games during the year and at all the different functions.
"If that was said, oh well, move on with life. I played a **** game. I know that and a lot of other people know that and I think I am not the only one guilty of playing a **** one on that day.
"I move on. It was not the first time I played a bad game, it's not going to be the last time I played a bad game."
Cloke said he had dealt with the loss to Brisbane and said constant reference to it served no purpose.
"You don't worry about the game you lost against whoever on the weekend during the year, it's the same with a Grand Final. Oh well, you lost it, this is a new year, a new footy season, there are other games to look forward to and if you worry about that one all your life you are going to be living in the past," he said.
"Today is today. You have to enjoy it. I am a big believer of 'move on'. Live life to the fullest while you are here."
Much of Cloke's focus for 2004 centres on the development of his brother Cameron, who is entering his second senior season.
Cameron Cloke spent a lot of 2003 devoted to Year 12 studies. He has compiled an impressive pre-season where he has added significant bulk to his 195cm frame.
By November, there may be a third Cloke added to Collingwood's list, as the 16-year-old Travis will be eligible for selection by Collingwood under the father-son rule at the national draft.
"Having Cameron around the club is just like being home -- we drive in together and drive home together and do weights together," Jason said.
"We have our goals. We want to play together, AFL at the highest level or in the VFL or whatever, we work together and it is good having Cam around. It's probably made it a bit easier for us.
"(Cameron) has dad's build, for sure, the big legs and the big upper body. Travis is taller than Cam at the moment and it comes pretty naturally to him.
"He is the youngest of the boys and we were always brought up kicking the footy around, dragged into it with me and Cam.
"He's different to us. He is a big left-footer. He has hands absolutely huge, they wrap around the footy like anything."
Cloke this season expects to play in similar mode to 2003 -- most of the time in the backline and some of the time as a forward.
In last year's Grand Final, he started in the key forward post at centre half-forward.
"In AFL footy you have to be able to play in more than one position," Cloke said.
"That's what I will be probably doing again this year. (Before the Grand Final) I had played forward during the year a fair bit.
"(Malthouse) threw me up forward at different times and that was just the way I was going to get a game in the Grand Final the way the match-ups went and the way it came out.
"Mick decided I had done enough to get a game and thought with Pebbs (Anthony Rocca) out we had to try a few different things.
"When you lose a key forward such as Pebbs it makes it pretty hard on others. I wasn't worried where I was playing or what I was doing.
"I gave what I could and that was it."
Cloke yesterday trained with his Collingwood teammates at Telstra Stadium as part of its four-day stay in western Sydney on an AFL community camp.
-----------------------------------------------------
I like this article for so many reasons!!
