AFL Legend Leigh Matthews has slammed star forward Travis Cloke’s decision to publicly air details of his contract negotiations with Collingwood and Fremantle.
Cloke is coming out of contract at the end of this season and is seeking a five-year deal with the Magpies.
The 25-year-old went on the Nine Network’s The Footy Show on Thursday night to announce he wants to stay with the Magpies, but he has been offered a long-term contract with the Dockers worth about $1 million per season.
The interest surrounding the 2011 All-Australian’s playing future will only intensify on Saturday when ladder leaders Collingwood host Fremantle at the MCG.
“Why did he do it?” Matthews told the afl.com.au website on Friday.
“I mean it’s great for The Footy Show, but I thought it was bad for Travis.
“If I’m Nathan Buckley and Collingwood, I’m thinking, ‘Travis, I know an individual contract is an individual thing in a team sport, but don’t go out in public and air it all’.”
Cloke’s TV appearance came only two days after Collingwood coach Buckley warned of the dangers of a player going too hard with salary demands.
Buckley said it could lead to a star player being released, or the club may be forced to offer other players lesser terms in order to stay under the club’s salary cap.
“He’s part of a team and I’m wondering what his teammates think,” said Matthews, who coached premierships with Collingwood in 1990 and with Brisbane in 2001-02-03.
“Contracts are about the individual but we are in a team sport in the middle of the season trying to win a premiership.
“All he did was talk about what he’s doing as an individual when it should be all about the team.”
St Kilda coach Scott Watters — who was an assistant at Collingwood last year — is dealing with a similar drama himself as utility Brendon Goddard holds contract talks with the Saints.
“From (Buckley’s) perspective, it’s all about the team as most coaches are,” Watters said on Friday.
“I don’t think he’d be all that comfortable with it, but he knows how he wants his team put together and he’ll stick by that.”
Watters said talks with Goddard’s management were proceeding nicely behind closed doors.
“Call me old-fashioned, but when contract negotiations take place between two parties, I reckon the negotiations should stay there rather than expose them to outside parties,” Watters said.
“Brendon’s line has been respectful of both parties. There are things going on between Brendon and the club that will remain between Brendon and the club and I don’t think they’re for public consumption.”
Cloke’s Collingwood teammate Harry O’Brien strongly backed the big forward on Friday and said he hadn’t watched the TV interview.
O’Brien, Ben Reid, Dayne Beams, Sharrod Wellingham and Tyson Goldsack are among the Collingwood players who may be affected by a lucrative new deal for Cloke.
“He’s a very important player,” O’Brien said.
“I’m out of contract too so I’m in the same boat. I don’t want to rush into decisions also.
“I can understand where he’s coming from.”