> Watch the mid week press conference featruing Travis Cloke, Harry O'Brien, Leon Davis and Leigh BrownCOLLINGWOOD forward Travis Cloke insists that he's feeling confident with his goal-kicking and can't wait to take on the Adelaide Crows on Saturday night.
The Magpies were soundly beaten by the Saints in Sunday's qualifying final and now face Adelaide in a cut-throat semi-final for the right to play Geelong the following weekend.
Cloke has kicked 21.24 this season for a career tally of 116.116 in 98 games, and went goalless against the Saints as Collingwood managed just seven majors.
But the 22-year-old says he's been working to improve his skills in that area.
"I'm pretty good – I've missed some sitters over the last couple of months, and I've sat down with Anthony Rocca and (assistant coach) Paul Hudson, and we've gone through what I've done right and what I've done wrong," he said at the Lexus Centre on Tuesday.
"We think as a group that we've got something under control, and I'm looking forward to getting out there this weekend and try to have a couple more shots on goal, because I'm feeling very confident in front of goals.
"I missed that one on the weekend and hit the post, but I guess that's football – you can't kick them all and I think that shows with mine, I'm not kicking them all and kicking a lot of points, but I think I'm slowly getting there.
"Hopefully I am getting there and it's showing to the supporters that I am trying to improve in that area of my football."
The Saints had a phenomenal 164 more possessions than the Magpies on Sunday, and Cloke said the Magpies needed to get the ball more and to use it more efficiently when they had it.
"We didn't have the ball as much as we would have liked, and our efficiency wasn't as high we would have liked also.
"We've got some pretty good ball users and we like to get the ball into their hands, and it gets frustrating when we don't have the ball and can't setup as much play, but realistically, the best defence is having the ball.
"So we look forward to hopefully getting the ball a bit more than Adelaide this weekend."
Anthony Rocca played his first game since early May and just his fourth at AFL level for the year on the weekend, and he limped off late in the game with an ankle injury.
Despite claims from outside the club that Rocca's inclusion straight into the finals upset the balance of the forward line, Cloke said his presence was invaluable.
"It was an unusual one – we had Anthony back for the first time, and he may have only had a couple of touches, but gee, he was important for us up forward.
"His impact and just his voice is so important for John Anthony and myself – we're probably the younger ones in our forward half, and him being out there, and his instructions, and just Anthony Rocca being Anthony Rocca on a football field is very important to us."
