Collingwood forward Travis Cloke didn't set the world on fire in his AFL return but it was a "stepping stone" to better things, according to coach Nathan Buckley.
Cloke, 29, managed 13 possessions and didn't kick a goal in the 67-point loss to Port Adelaide at the MCG - his first game since being dropped ahead of the round five Anzac Day clash against Essendon.
"Clokey came in and played his role and probably, against expectations, did okay but not at the level that he's come to expect or that we've come to expect," Buckley told Fox Footy.
"But it was a stepping stone.
"He got to the right spots more often than not, he dropped a few (marks) that he would have liked to have taken, probably three opportunities that he would have generally taken at his best.
"But he did some nice things ... I said 'serviceable' straight after the game and that would be right.
"He wouldn't be satisfied with his output but he'd be happy to be back on the park with the opportunity to perform."
The Pies' season is teetering on the brink at 4-7 and in 12th spot following the loss.
Buckley conceded his team had a bad day but remains confident they're capable of much better.
"Their forwards flogged our backs and their backs flogged our forwards and that's due, in some part, to work rate and structure ... the players were disappointed with the effort and we were disappointed as a club," he said.
"We've been playing better than that and we didn't put our best foot forward."
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