COLLINGWOOD forward Travis Cloke has called on the AFL to clarify its interpretation of rules governing high contact following the recent case involving captain Nick Maxwell.
Cloke, speaking from the Lexus Centre on Wednesday ahead of Thursday night's NAB Cup quarter-final against Richmond, said that the difference between a legal and illegal bump was unclear after Maxwell successfully appealed his four-match ban.
Maxwell had been suspended for making high contact with West Coast's Patrick McGinnity in the Pies' NAB Cup opener.
"You look at different incidents and you might think, 'That's a bit borderline or that's a bit much' but it happens so quickly that you don't really get the chance to think about it," he said.
"It just happens and you play on instincts and I think that's what football is about.
"It's just football. You lay a hit here or there and they look at it differently and a couple of weeks later it could be looked at differently again. It's just the way it goes."
Cloke promised fans they could expect the same hard-nosed style from both Maxwell and his teammates this season.
"We're not going to change our [style of] football just because of one incident that happened a few weeks ago," he said.
"Obviously the AFL looked at it pretty close and they will be for the next couple of months and in the upcoming season this year.
"I think the way Nick plays his football is very along the line. He pushes the boundary there. That's the way a lot of footballers play their football and I think that's the way the game should be played.
"I think that's what makes it such a good spectacle when players do push the boundary that little bit and see how far you can go."
The Magpies defeated the Eagles on February 7 to set up the quarter-final clash, but Cloke said the players had been kept busy with a community camp and a solid training regime since then.
With most of the media attention focused on the Tigers and the return of Ben Cousins, Cloke admitted it had been a different preparation for the Pies who are keen to continue in the pre-season competition.
"It is late February, but no one likes to lose," he said.
"Even though it is a Thursday night everyone's going to treat it as a nice big game and with Ben coming back it will be just a great spectacle for both teams."
And who will get the job on man of the moment Cousins?
"Whoever does get it they'll be over the moon," Cloke said.
"He's such a great player, always has been, and I think that's the main thing. Everyone's going to love him just getting out on the track and just getting the ball in his hands and running along the wing."
