THE BIGGEST contract story of 2012 has finally drawn to a close with Collingwood premiership forward Travis Cloke re-signing with the club for a further five years.
Cloke is now tied to the Pies until the end of 2017.
The contract is understood to have a clause which will see Cloke needing to meet conditions at the end of the fourth year of the contract.
And in further good news for the Pies, defender Harry O'Brien has also inked a new deal.
The signing of the new deal puts to bed the long-running speculation about Cloke's future beyond this season.
The 25-year-old has been talked about consistently this year as reports linked him to rival clubs with more salary cap space, including Carlton and Fremantle.
"It's obviously a long commitment from both parties which, from our point of view, reflects the regard we hold Travis in and our faith in his ability to play good football for a long time to come," Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh said.
"I think it's also a reflection of Travis' regard for Collingwood."
Walsh would not be drawn on the nature of the conditions, saying it was a matter between Collingwood and Cloke.
“The final year is not unencumbered. There are conditions that will remain a matter for Collingwood and Travis but clearly both parties are comfortable with them," he said.
The highly sought-after centre half-forward has shunned other options and joined Scott Pendlebury, Heath Shaw, Luke Ball, Steele Sidebottom, Jarryd Blair, Alex Fasolo, Ben Reid and Lachlan Keeffe as Pies to re-sign this season.
O'Brien has signed for two more years.
The 25-year-old has played 159 matches in eight seasons since joining the club as a rookie in 2005.
Collingwood has always remained confident of retaining Cloke, but in June coach Nathan Buckley insisted the Pies would not be held ransom to unreasonable demands as they worked to keep a talented list together.
"While there's been talk of one contract affecting another contract, even with Cloke's negotiations, we've been able to lock away some pretty important players in the meantime," Buckley said at the time.
"There's still a few boys we're working to fit in and all of those guys understand the lay of the land and there's not a lot of movement that can happen from our side of things.
"If a player or player manager was going to go a little bit too hard with us, especially with the circumstances we're in this year, you'd either have to let that guy go or you have to find room somewhere else."
Cloke has played 174 senior games, including the 2010 premiership, and kicked 283 goals.
He won the club best and fairest in 2007, and was All Australian last year and second in the Coleman Medal.
Other out of contract Magpies include Sharrod Wellingham, Andrew Krakouer, Brent Macaffer and Tyson Goldsack, with a decision yet to be made on the future of veteran Ben Johnson.
This week, captain Nick Maxwell said Cloke had indicated his intentions with a quip at a gathering of the players on Sunday, two days after their season ended at the hands of the Sydney Swans.
"He was writing me some sort of message at some stage, I think, on Sunday," Maxwell said on SEN.
"A couple of us just caught up and he asked me to get him a certain drink - and I said, 'Yeah, no worries, mate, I'll organise it for you'.
"And he said, 'That's why I'll be voting for you for captain again next year'. I said, 'Oh, are you hanging around, are you?'"
Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.
