EMBATTLED Collingwood forward Travis Cloke has admitted he “was p---ed off” to be dropped to the VFL last month, but is adamant he won’t be walking away from the Magpies.

Cloke was dropped ahead of Collingwood’s Round 5 Anzac Day clash with Essendon and has remained in the VFL since, and said his initial feelings about going back weren’t exactly positive.

“I was p---ed off is the best way to put it,” Cloke said.

“I debuted 13 years ago on that day, so it’s pretty special to me. I hadn’t missed one since, so I was pretty annoyed.

“I understand (Nathan Buckley) is the coach — he makes the call for the team, not the individual. I’ve copped it on the chin and gone back and really worked on my footy the last few weeks.

“I’m starting to get there. I’m starting to progress and also I’m going out and enjoying my football, but also playing with a bit of an edge as well.”

Cloke kicked four goals on the weekend in his strongest performance for the Magpies’ VFL outfit, and says playing there is only motivating him further to make a senior return.

Collingwood’s VFL side has a bye this weekend, and if Cloke doesn’t get his chance at AFL level, he said he will just keep working.

But one thing he won’t be doing is walking out on the club.

“If I don’t get my chance this week, I’ll go back, train as hard as I can this week and get myself right for the following week,” Cloke told RSN radio.

“I look forward to the challenge – I’m definitely not going to shy away from it and walk out on this club. I love the place. I’ve been involved here since I was 16 doing work experience. I’m looking forward to the coming weeks.”

Cloke admitted he let his feelings get the better of him for most the week when told of his demotion, until it came to running out for the VFL side.

And while the 29-year-old said he has “bought in” to the VFL team’s system, he has “had enough” of playing in the second tier competition.

“It took until running out in the VFL, realistically, to sink in,” Cloke said.

“It’s probably sad to say that it did take that long and it shouldn’t have. But it did.

“The positive thing is, I’ve bought into the VFL program over the last few weeks — I haven’t gone back and sooked and whinged about the situation. I think Dale Tapping, our VFL coach, has been impressed and happy with the way I’ve gone about the attitude and I’m looking forward to playing wherever I’m required over the next few weeks.

“I’m hanging to get back into the senior side, that’s for sure. I’ve had enough of VFL football.”

Coach Nathan Buckley said Cloke had to rediscover his “thirst” for the contest in the VFL, but the forward said he didn’t take that observation well.

“I didn’t accept it, no,” he said.

“But I can probably see where he was coming from. He said I wasn’t hard enough in the contest, which didn’t resonate very well with me and I wasn’t very happy with (that).

“Over my career, I’ve been pretty solid and that’s one thing I’ve been pretty good with. He’s the coach – you accept what he says, you take it on board and you go back and try and improve that area.”

Rather than taking a leaf out of Melbourne counterpart Jesse Hogan’s book and calling on a former great, Cloke said he has been working closely with Emma Murray — the mother of 14-year-old Will who was left a quadriplegic earlier this year following a football accident — on his mindset.

He said “visualisation” has played a big part.

“It’s about finding that balance … and not drifting away if something doesn’t go your way,” Cloke said.

“Not focusing on that one element of the game.”