Collingwood recruit Quinten Lynch works up a sweat in pre-season training. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun
TRAVIS Cloke has lots to be excited about.
With last year's contract circus behind him, the Collingwood spearhead will enter 2013 with a clear mind and niggle-free.
But there's something else that is giving the Magpies' chief goalkicker plenty to smile about as the club stepped up its pre-season with a solid one-hour match simulation session yesterday.
The man who replaced Chris Dawes as Cloke's new key forward partner, Quinten Lynch, has been one of the standouts of Collingwood's summer.
While the 30-year-old may not have attracted as much pre-season hype as some of the other club's big-name recruits, the West Coast premiership forward's physical game style is set to bring an imposing and versatile edge to the Pies' forward setup.
Cloke, who ranked No.1 in the AFL for contested marks last season, yesterday warmly welcomed the aerial support Lynch is poised to provide.
"He's going to help us out and and obviously 'Jolls' (Darren Jolly) and 'Huddo' (Ben Hudson) in the ruck, so he's a massive plus for the team and also myself," Cloke said.
"I'm looking forward to working with him. He's an amazing (physical) specimen and he's a very big man and he can run all day, so it's great.
"I got to know him quite well the last couple of months, he's a fantastic man and a lovely family man."
Adding to their Magpies' delight, fellow free agent Clinton Young, from Hawthorn, joined in on the match simulation after spending much of the summer carefully managing his recovery from foot surgery.
Jordan Russell and Ben Hudson also impressed in the full-ground workout at Victoria Park, adding vital playing depth to the club's premiership tilt.
Picture gallery: Collingwood family day
After booting 33 goals mainly playing deep forward for West Coast last year, Lynch yesterday said he was relishing the move to the Westpac Centre.
" I just feel there's a hunger in this group at the moment to succeed and it's really exciting for me," Lynch said.
"I've obviously come in as a tall forward to help Clokey out up there and that's exciting and no doubt I'll have a little bit of a run through the ruck if needed, so there are two good roles there," he said.
"These boys made the prelim final last year and hopefully I've come over here and we can go one better."
Cloke, who kicked 59 goals last year, downplayed the distraction caused by his contract saga, which looms for Hawthorn and its superstar Lance Franklin this season.
"I spoke to Bucks and said earlier in the year: 'Mate, this is what I want to do and he knew the whole way along what was happening'," Cloke said yesterday.
"And I had faith in him and he had faith in me, so we knew what was happening, it was just a matter of getting pen to paper."
These boys made the prelim final last year and hopefully I've come over here and we can go one better.
Midfield dynamos Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan continued their impressive build-up to the season yesterday as Dale Thomas and Dayne Beams watched the match practice from the sidelines.
Beams, whose enjoyed a career-best year last season winning his first Copeland Trophy, said he had overcome a few niggles in the pre-season.
"(I've had) a couple of little hiccups along the way, but it has probably been one of my better pre-seasons," Beams said.
Luke Ball and Lachy Keeffe continue to make solid progress in their comeback from knee reconstructions, training away from the main group yesterday.
Andrew Krakouer, who had a quick-fix type of knee surgery to repair his ruptured ACL, also looked in excellent touch with a bag of goals deep forward.
Summer Barometer: Magpies injury, training latest
Hoping for a better run of injury luck in 2013, coach Nathan Buckley is expecting more welcome headaches picking the Pies' best 22 this season.
"The great thing we have got is we have competition for spots, so we'll spend the next two or thee weeks in practice matches and through the early part of the NAB Cup working out who is going to be putting their hand up to play senior footy early in the first couple of rounds," Buckley said.
"We've probably got 30-35 blokes that we're trying to squeeze into 22.
"You will be rewarded in selection for your efforts."
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