Buckley slams wayward AFL forward Cloke

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley believes Travis Cloke's inaccurate goal kicking came back to bite the Magpies in their AFL loss to Gold Coast.

Forward Travis Cloke's problem with inaccuracy has become too much for Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.

The powerful forward, who booted 2.5 against Adelaide last weekend, was back to his wayward worst with 2.4 in the Magpies' seven-point AFL loss to Gold Coast on Saturday.

"Well it's come back to bite us on the arse eventually hasn't it?", Buckley said.

Missed opportunities, particularly in the game's opening stages, were the difference according to Buckley.

And it may prove more costly, with the loss all but ensuring the Magpies can't claw their way into the top four.

"Clokey was one of the reasons, one of the players that didn't take his chances," he said.

"Early on, Swannie (Dane Swan) tries to put a left-footer in across the ground and if he hits that, we're out and we're going. The alternative happens and they kick a goal.

"In the end there's six, seven, eight opportunities that we really should have converted, especially early."

Not even an apparent immediate benefit from the club's midweek meeting with umpires over what Cloke needs to do to avoid giving away free kicks could help the Magpies star.

At least twice Cloke was the beneficiary of some iffy umpiring calls in the first half against the Suns but he failed to find the goals, booting four behinds in the opening term.

The 26-year-old did at least boot two majors in the third quarter.


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Source: AAP


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