David Cloke is a former Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who played in the VFL/AFL.

Cloke was a powerful ruckman

Ruckman (Australian rules football position)

In Australian rules football, a ruckman is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages . The ruckman is one of the most important players on the field...

 and occasional forward who enjoyed a marvellous career at two VFL/AFL clubs. He began with Oakleigh

Oakleigh Football Club

Oakleigh Football Club, nicknamed the Devils, was an Australian rules football club from Oakleigh which played in the VFA from 1929 until 1994...

 where he played alongside his brother Peter, and in 1974 he went to Richmond

Richmond Football Club

The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...

. Cloke was a premiership player in his debut season with the Tigers and went on to afford great service in 219 VFL games from 1974 to 1982 (including another winning Grand Final in 1980

1980 VFL Grand Final

The 1980 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Richmond Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 1980. It was the 84th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

) and in 1990–1991. In between, he played with equal effectiveness for Collingwood

Collingwood Football Club

The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

, where he added another 114 league games.

Always a threat when resting in the forward lines, Cloke kicked a total of 323 goals during his eighteen season VFL career, before retiring in 1991. Cloke came second in the Brownlow Medal

Brownlow Medal

The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

 in 1984, 3 votes behind winner Peter Moore. He achieved All Australian selection after representing Victoria at the Perth state of origin carnival of 1979.

In 1992, post his VFL/AFL career, he ACTAFL club Ainslie

Ainslie, Australian Capital Territory

Ainslie is a leafy suburb of Canberra, Australia in the North Canberra district.The suburb is bounded by Limestone Avenue and Majura Avenue to the west and north, Phillip Avenue to the north-east, Mount Ainslie to the east and Quick Street to the south.Ainslie is within walking distance of the...

 as captain-coach, and promptly steered them to a flag, a success repeated the following year when he won the Alex Jesaulenko Trophy for best afield in the grand final. Somewhat surprisingly, given his all round value for the teams he played with, David Cloke's only club best and fairest award came in 1992 with Ainslie. He did, however, achieve All Australian selection after representing Victoria at the 1979 Perth State of Origin Carnival

1979 Perth State of Origin Carnival

The 1979 Perth State of Origin Carnival was the 20th Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football competition. It was the first carnival to take place under the State of Origin format....

.

David's three sons, Jason

Jason Cloke

Jason Cloke is an Australian rules footballer, who played in the Australian Football League with the Collingwood Football Club.-Career:...

, Cameron

Cameron Cloke

Cameron Cloke is former Australian rules footballer. He is the son of former Richmond and Collingwood champion David Cloke.-AFL career:...

 and Travis

Travis Cloke

Travis Cloke is a professional Australian rules footballer playing in the Australian Football League. Cloke was drafted under the father-son rule by Collingwood in the 3rd round of the 2004 AFL Draft...

 were all originally recruited in the AFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 for Collingwood. However, Jason has since been cut by the club before returning to play for Collingwood's VFL side, Williamstown

Williamstown Football Club

The Williamstown Football Club, nicknamed The Seagulls, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne and are currently playing in the Victorian Football League...

 and Cameron was recruited by Carlton

Carlton Football Club

The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

in 2006. David was inducted into Richmond's Hall of Fame in 2007.