HEADING into the 2007 season, Mick Malthouse stood in front of his players and asked who among them thought they were yet to have earned their spots in the round-one line-up. As you would suspect, quite a few hands went up and one of them was Travis Cloke's.

That off-season, Collingwood had traded Chris Tarrant to Fremantle and there was a massive hole in our best side that required a big, tall, hard-working, marking forward to make the position his own, and everyone knew it had to be Trav.

He knew it, too, but the reason he put his hand up was because he thought he was yet to earn it. He had played the role in the pre-season and displayed good form and had proven to all that he deserved first crack at the spot.

That he wasn't prepared to claim it in front of his peers without consistently strong form as the key forward is the reason why he now not only enjoys that very mantle but has secured a club championship in the process.

From a generation that expects everything before their time, Travis, at 21, is a blast from the past. He's quietly spoken and very respectful of his opportunity at the club, extremely hard working on and off the track and fully prepared to earn any success he gains on the back of the effort he puts in. He takes nothing for granted.

And this coming from a young prodigy who in many ways had only to show moderate talent to be picked up father/son by either Richmond or Collingwood. He had excuses to simply go through the motions but has learned to steer clear of that pitfall.

In many ways, that has been something common to all of the Clokes. You never have to ask for effort from them. Jason and Cameron were at Collingwood when Travis arrived late in 2004, and while you would have thought he might have relied on the support of his big brothers, he thrived last year on his own after both older siblings had left the club.

While his mindset and workrate off the field could never be questioned, there are areas that Trav has modified to reach the standard he has now set for himself on the field.

As a big, raw-boned forward in his first two seasons, he displayed flashes of his best but brought a bad habit with him from his junior days. With a booming left-foot kick, he had obviously been encouraged to swing around, play on and kick long at every opportunity after a mark.

He never looked short and only rarely looked long before pulling the trigger. It was the only trick in his bag and the opposition defences kept falling off their players and swept the ball away at will.

Just when it threatened to affect his ability to contribute more effectively to the team, Trav entered 2007 with a renewed mindset. It seemed to me that overnight he had added more peripheral vision and awareness to his game and it made him twice the player.

Likewise his goalkicking. As a less-than-50% converter at the start of his career, he failed to capitalise on his chances. But last year, he amassed 39.39 and this year has improved again to 22.15. I know it's an area he has put a lot of work into and once again he has reaped the rewards.

As it stands, he has all the tools to become a great player. I look at him play now and can't help but think he's a generation too late. At his size and with his strength and aerobic capacity, he would have dominated through the 1980s or '90s with space in the forward line. But he has proven in the past 12 months that he has the capacity to develop his game to formidable levels in the present environment.

At 199 centimetres and 103 kilograms, he doesn't fall into the supposed "future player" mould, but he has good speed, a very big aerobic tank, awesome strength and the ability to follow up with third and fourth efforts when the ball is in his area.

His trump card, though, has always been his marking ability. When he gets his hands to a ball, it rarely gets away. On the lead, it is difficult for defenders to get a fist to the ball because he marks well in front of his eyes and, as we saw last week against Sydney, he thrives in pack-marking situations.

Any consistent contested-marking player will become gold in the next five years in the game and it is his strongest suit.

One of the things I love about him as a player is the mean streak that runs through him on the football field. He is not overtly physical but carries an element of white-line fever and the willingness to set a physical standard in each game.

When a tackle is there to be laid, he absolutely smashes opponents to the deck. Late last year, watching him go about it, I thought he had become one of the better-tackling players in the competition. He works hard defensively and when he gets his man, they hurt.

This mean streak has taken a turn in the past month and has started to find its way into less constructive areas. Being reported for striking recently was loose. Add that to a quick little headbutt here and a couple of flailing arms there and he has to make sure his energies are directed into the right areas for the team.

Today, against Adelaide, will be a big test for Cloke, who is getting a taste of life as the only tall forward in the team, with Anthony Rocca out with a long-term injury. Nathan Bock will pick him up for the Crows if he plays across half forward, and Travis will have to contend with Crows midfielders sitting in the space in front and beside him. The tests don't get any tougher for a key forward and he will rely on quick ball movement from his mates up the field for him to play his role.

Travis Cloke, even with a Copeland under his belt, is a far-from-perfect player and he knows that. But he has shown all the reasons why he will be an elite player for many years to come. He has proved himself to be a big-game player, having performed well in Collingwood's finals last year when it mattered most, and the tests will continue to come for him thick and fast. Through all this, Trav's greatest strength is his drive to be his best. With that focus in mind, the sky is the limit.