WESTERN Bulldogs captain Easton Wood says he isn't surprised the premiers have made an approach to Collingwood forward Travis Cloke.
The deal to bring Cloke across to the Bulldogs appears to be a fait accompli when trade week kicks off on Monday.
Wood told NAB AFL Trade Radio on Wednesday that 29-year-old Cloke – who has kicked 441 goals in 246 games for the Magpies – had shown during his career he could be an asset to any side.
"Trav has been a great player for a number of years, so it's no surprise the club is keen to improve the list, and obviously if they get him along, they think he will do that," Wood said.
"How that ends up looking, I'm not certain … I'm not really sure what's happened at this stage."
Cloke is expected to take a massive pay cut to accept a two-year contract with the Bulldogs rather than see out the final year of his deal with the Magpies.
Wood believed Cloke would be able to fit in with the Bulldogs' unpredictable forward structure.
"We have a number of guys who spend the majority of their time in the forward line, like Jake Stringer and Tory Dickson," Wood said.
"A player like (Cloke), I don't think that would hurt that unpredictability at all."
Wood said he hoped veteran defender Matthew Boyd would be offered a new contract, while midfielder Lin Jong would be welcome to stay with the Bulldogs, despite missing the Grand Final and interest from Gold Coast.
Boyd was named in the All Australian backline this year.
Jong attracted attention during the season when he was caught visiting Collingwood's facilities.
"That (Collingwood meeting) during the year was a bit messy," Wood said.
"I really do hope he stays with us." Jong injured his collarbone during the finals series but returned to star in the Dogs' VFL Grand Final.