THE HOSTILE reception Travis Cloke received from the Collingwood faithful on his Bulldogs debut is nothing new for the forward, according to Liam Picken.
After an unceremonious departure from the Magpies following 246 games, All Australian honours twice and a premiership, the 30-year-old was booed every time he touched the ball in the Dogs' opening round win.
Bulldogs midfielder Picken said the experience wasn't troubling for his new teammate.
"It doesn't really worry him too much (because) he was saying the (Magpie) supporters were getting into him when he played for Collingwood anyway," Picken said.
"We went back and kicked a goal and all the boys got around him.
"It was good for Cloke to be able to kick that goal."
Cloke's first game in the red, white and blue was an interesting subplot to the start of the Bulldogs' premiership defence, and Picken said while the team's performance wasn't perfect, they were happy with the result.
"We went well in some spots and not so well others," he said.
"We were really happy with the four points because Collingwood were really good on Friday night.
"Round one is always hard, so we were happy to get the win."
A long-term leg injury to defender Dale Morris soured the 14-point win, and his absence will be keenly felt when the Dogs face Sydney in the Grand Final rematch at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
Superstar forward Lance Franklin was one of the Swans' best in a shock loss to Port Adelaide last week, and the encouraging return of fellow key forward Sam Reid from injury will give the Dogs' backline plenty to think about.
Second-year key defender Marcus Adams appears the most likely to be Morris' replacement after a strong performance in a VFL practice match on the weekend.
"We're going to miss (Dale), but it just gives another opportunity for someone else to step up," Picken said.
"We had a lot of injuries last year, and there were a lot of guys that stepped up for us.
"Whoever plays on (Franklin), hopefully gets a lot of help from his teammates."
