See the moment an AFL star is hit in the head in an off-the-ball alleged coward punch during footy match – and he was injured so badly he may never play again
- Cameron Cloke was the victim of an alleged cowardly blow
- Former star has had headaches and trouble sleeping
- Cloke suffered severe concussions throughout his career
Former AFL player Cameron Cloke was the victim of an allegedly cowardly blow during a football match in suburban Melbourne that has left the 38-year-old’s playing future in jeopardy.
The violent incident was caught on camera over the weekend as Templestowe’s Eastern Football League clash with Boronia was about to begin.
The ex-star of Carlton, Collingwood and Port Adelaide appeared to be hit in the head by the opponent’s number 45 as he prepared for the opening jump, sending him falling to the ground.
Cloke took no further part in the race after the incident and went to hospital on Sunday complaining of a headache and being unable to sleep.
“Because we’ve filed a competition inquiry, we can’t comment, but all we care about is Cam and making sure he’s okay,” Templestowe president Russell Smith told News Corp.
Cameron Cloke (pictured during a Pies Legends match in 2014) was the victim of an alleged cowardly punch during a football match in a suburb of Melbourne
The striker suffered a series of concussions throughout his footy career, with the head blows leading him to consider giving the match away.
In 2021, Cloke was knocked out of his 250th senior match in local footy while playing for Hurstbridge.
“I’ve had two serious concussions this year, so I’m not playing again this year. I will focus on coaching and focus on my kids,” Cloke said afterwards.
“I was pretty happy with the weekend against my old club, I have a lot of respect for Bundoora, if it’s my last game so be it.
“I can’t have my kids — I have a two-year-old, a four-year-old, and a nine-year-old stepson — and I can’t have them seeing me the way I was on the weekend. We agreed that if it happened again, that would be it and that’s why I didn’t want to get off the ground.”
Eastern League CEO Jy Bond told CODE Sports the incident was being investigated.
“We’ve been looking into this as a competition over the last few days,” Bond said.
“We do not condone violence on the field in any way.
Cloke (pictured playing for Port in 2010) has suffered a series of concussions during his footy career that have led him to consider giving the game away
“Our league is known as a strong, safe environment for players – it’s a skillful and fair league – and we encourage ex-AFL players to come back.”
Cloke is the brother of AFL players Jason and Travis and the son of former great David of Richmond and Collingwood.