Cloke tells young fan: 'Lift your offer'

Disgruntled Collingwood forward Travis Cloke says he has been deeply touched by a young fan offering his pocket money to help Cloke stay with the Magpies, but has called on the youngster to lift his offer.

The fan, seven-year-old Harry Rose, wrote a letter to the club last week pleading with Cloke to stay. Enclosed with the letter was a $5 note, which Harry said was his pocket money for the week. In shades of the famous case with Chris Grant at the Western Bulldogs, the young fan said he hoped his small donation would remind Travis what he meant to the club's supporters.

Cloke told thebladder.com that he had been "deeply moved" by the letter.

"That was a lovely gesture," Cloke said. "It just shows what great fans Collingwood have got, and how much this club means to them.

"But let's be honest. Five bucks is nothing to me. Freo are offering me $5.5 million, Melbourne want me for seven years and now Carlton and Richmond will come in with huge deals too. So I'm sorry, but Harry's gonna have to do better than his measly $5."

Cloke said Harry could perhaps look at making regular donations over a five-year period.

"I'd want five as a minimum," Cloke said. "I have to think of my future, you know. I'd also want him to lift his offer a little – from $5 to, say, $1 million. If he's happy to do that, then maybe we can talk.

"But like I said, it was a lovely letter and I really appreciated it. Hopefully it might even get me a few bucks on eBay."

Cloke also said he felt Harry should be getting more than $5 per week in pocket money, and offered the services of his father, David, to renegotiate the deal with Harry's mum.