Crows join race for Cloke

[fairfooty]

Umm.. you do realise that "Restricted Free Agent" means that Collingwood retain him if they're willing to match the salary offered by the club doing the poaching? Thus, we have no option but to offer him more than they're prepared to match.

EDIT: In Cloke's context, Collingwood are apparently prepared to offer him $800k for 4 years. Our starting point has to be north of there, if we're serious about recruiting him. Personally, I don't think he's worth that sort of money.

Agreed. He's not worth it. And I'd rather have some money in the bank to retain Danger, Sloan et al in coming years - and assuming these guys remain relatively injury free and become consistent guns we are going to need truckloads to hang onto them.

There's something really strange about the Cloke/Manager - Dad arrangement. Smacks of the Jelena Dokic - nut bag father set-up of some years ago. That behavior is not a fit to the AFC and it would be a big mistake to recruit it into the club. And what does it tell you about Cloke when at the age of 25 he still has his father managing him who is a known nut bag, damaging his brand and can't tell him to piss off ? Something very wrong there. Tell you it's not just the father we need to be worried about.... So don't even think about it IMO.

 

[BigLefty]

Jenkins is still (@ least) two years off being at Cloak or Tippets level are you are prepared to wait that long to be a contender. Our structure depends on Kurt without him we need the likes of Cloke.

right now it probably does, but that doesnt mean with a couple of tweaks we couldnt function just as well with a Tex, Porps, Johnston/Jenkins forward setup.

what it should mean if we lose Tippett, is that we can splash some cash at a gun mid somewhere. i'm convinmced flags are won and lost in the middle. if you can dominate there then the forwards get enough of an advantage to dominate also. see Hendo in the showdown.

maybe we use the cash to go after a gun small forward. (callinan is there now but not for long).

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

right now it probably does, but that doesnt mean with a couple of tweaks we couldnt function just as well with a Tex, Porps, Johnston/Jenkins forward setup.

what it should mean if we lose Tippett, is that we can splash some cash at a gun mid somewhere. i'm convinmced flags are won and lost in the middle. if you can dominate there then the forwards get enough of an advantage to dominate also. see Hendo in the showdown.

maybe we use the cash to go after a gun small forward. (callinan is there now but not for long).

Matthew Wright/Aiden Riley/Rory Laird etc etc. could fill into those Callinan shoes!

 

[The Big Sauce]

It's amazing Cloke has been linked to 33% of the league (GWS, Fremantle, WBD, Adelaide, Carlton & Melbourne) and that's not including his original club.

 

[Bob Neil]

Whether or not we've 'joined the race' for Cloke - and I can buy the contingency planning angle - I don't like the Crows (via Harper) making this public by confirming it to the media. Totally unnecessary and IMO inflammatory to the ongoing discussions with Tippett. Even if Kurt is taking too long to make a decision - convey your frustration privately not via the media. Think it's a bit amateur in my opinion and in some respects a self-fulfilling prophecy...by talking publicly about planning in case of Kurt's departure you actually make it more likely.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Whether or not we've 'joined the race' for Cloke - and I can buy the contingency planning angle - I don't like the Crows (via Harper) making this public by confirming it to the media. Totally unnecessary and IMO inflammatory to the ongoing discussions with Tippett. Even if Kurt is taking too long to make a decision - convey your frustration privately not via the media. Think it's a bit amateur in my opinion and in some respects a self-fulfilling prophecy...by talking publicly about planning in case of Kurt's departure you actually make it more likely.

Actually reckon it is better like this.

This way we control the release of information and the timing. Also get the story exactly how we want it.

What if it spilled out later that we'd made him an offer and had tried to keep it quiet? Would look dodgy and as though we were plotting behind Kurt's back.

 

[WAG]

What if it spilled out later that we'd made him an offer and had tried to keep it quiet? Would look dodgy and as though we were plotting behind Kurt's back.

Like shopping Kurt to Brisbane during the trade period last year?

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Like shopping Kurt to Brisbane during the trade period last year?

Umm... yeah

 

[Anthonyo]

Nah! Cloke is too short whereas Liz Cambage is 203 cm and only 20.

 

[Adelaide Cows]

right now it probably does, but that doesnt mean with a couple of tweaks we couldnt function just as well with a Tex, Porps, Johnston/Jenkins forward setup.

what it should mean if we lose Tippett, is that we can splash some cash at a gun mid somewhere. i'm convinmced flags are won and lost in the middle. if you can dominate there then the forwards get enough of an advantage to dominate also. see Hendo in the showdown.

maybe we use the cash to go after a gun small forward. (callinan is there now but not for long).

I think both are just as important, the benifit of having someone who can take a contested mark is massive.
Most Premiership teams have one. Hawkins last year was huge and even if they dont get on the scoreboard they bring the small forwards into the game. Walker is not this type of player and though Jenkins could be in the future with our current mid set up we need to be up and running next near to make sure we dont underachieve.

We could restructure but IMO teams are much stronger with some one who can clunk a contested mark.

 

[Vader]

Whether or not we've 'joined the race' for Cloke - and I can buy the contingency planning angle - I don't like the Crows (via Harper) making this public by confirming it to the media. Totally unnecessary and IMO inflammatory to the ongoing discussions with Tippett. Even if Kurt is taking too long to make a decision - convey your frustration privately not via the media. Think it's a bit amateur in my opinion and in some respects a self-fulfilling prophecy...by talking publicly about planning in case of Kurt's departure you actually make it more likely.

My guess is that Adelaide approached Cloke's manager (his Dad), as part of their due diligency and contingency planning. David Cloke then leaked it to the media, in order to put more pressure on Collingwood (Adelaide being the first really big club to show any interest). The media then went to Harper and asked him point blank if there was any truth to the story - and he responded with the line about "contingency planning".

I sincerely doubt that the media got hold of this from Adelaide's end.

 

[BigLefty]

I think both are just as important, the benifit of having someone who can take a contested mark is massive.
Most Premiership teams have one. Hawkins last year was huge and even if they dont get on the scoreboard they bring the small forwards into the game. Walker is not this type of player and though Jenkins could be in the future with our current mid set up we need to be up and running next near to make sure we dont underachieve.

We could restructure but IMO teams are much stronger with some one who can clunk a contested mark.

yeah good point.

remember Mark Stevens and Matty Robran? they were the sort of player you need. i remember them being a good solid CHF, no star, but when you kicked it to where they were supposed to be, they'd be there.

so we could afford to lose Tippett, if we then bolster the midfield, and get a serviceable target up forward.

note: i dont want to lose Tippett.

 

[moogerfooger]

My guess is that Adelaide approached Cloke's manager (his Dad), as part of their due diligency and contingency planning. David Cloke then leaked it to the media, in order to put more pressure on Collingwood (Adelaide being the first really big club to show any interest). The media then went to Harper and asked him point blank if there was any truth to the story - and he responded with the line about "contingency planning".

I sincerely doubt that the media got hold of this from Adelaide's end.

I think you've hit it on the head. Add the fact that the conversation with Cloke's people was probably very short - there's no way we'll pay Cloke the required 1.2m over 5 years if we're baulking at paying Tippett 700k over 3. Also, I would not be surprised if the "Brisbane thinks Tippett's leaving" comment came from a player manager (or straight out of Robbo's arse) and not a Brisbane official. I reckon the current Tippett situation is actually more to do with what AFC are willing to pay than any issue with Tip wanting to go home.

 

[Caputo]

Grasshopper remember when Travis uncle Pete played CHB at North Adelaide and less talented brother at PAFC (the club that actually started 1870)

 

[Wood_Duck]

Nah! Cloke is too short whereas Liz Cambage is 203 cm and only 20.

She's a bloody cats fan.

 

[sbenno]

I would much prefer to keep Tippet - It sounds like that's what everyone would prefer as well.

If we do lose Tippo, I'm not opposed to getting Cloke, but I don't like the price we would have to pay to get him. $800k/4 years is too much, and we'd have to pay more than that under the RFC rules.

Either that, or trade with Collingwood for him, and I don't particularly like the prospect of losing another of our quality players (on top of Tippet) to gain an over-rated and inflexible Cloke. Could you imagine losing Talia to gain Cloke? I imagine this is the kind of price we would have to pay, and I don't like that prospect at all.