Collingwood premiership forward Travis Cloke has told CTV that he never entertained the idea of leaving the club in the lead up to signing with the Pies at the end of the year.
Signing a two-year deal in October, Cloke said he had already verbally committed himself to Collingwood when he spoke to assistant coach Nathan Buckley 12 months ago.
“I wanted to stay here no matter what,” Cloke told Paul Licuria on Thursday in Arizona.?
“I spoke to Bucks midway through the year when we started negotiations and I said to Bucks that I would be here when he takes over in 12 months time. I wanted to be part of this because I knew the club was in a great position.”
The 23-year-old has already accomplished a complete football degree winning a Copeland Trophy in 2007 and experiencing the ultimate with a premiership medallion.
“It’s everything I thought it would be. To get one at a young age is unbelievable.
“We didn’t go over the top. We knew the crowd was loud and enthusiastic for us.
“The thing I remember is Ben Reid coming down to full forward and I said to him ‘What are you doing down at this end of the ground mate?’ and said he wanted to be part of the action.
“That’s all I remember from the last few minutes of the game.”??Cloke spoke to CTV a day after the group completed the grueling 35-kilometre Grand Canyon trek. David Buttifant, the club’s sports science director, told the club’s website earlier in the week, this camp is the toughest one the players have had to face.
“Four days in and it’s been like hell. I have hated every minute of it. But at the same time it’s been great, as we have had to push ourselves mentally and physically. And enjoying time with the boys has been fantastic.”
The group will now depart for a camping trip which involves tackling Mt Humphrey, the largest mountain in the area, twice.
