#23 - Anthony Rocca

[pendles]

wow that is probably the best quote/motto I have ever heard!

"Don't pi$$ into the wind" is better.

[Snag Breac]

"Don't pi$$ into the wind" is better.

Not necessarily better, but I do like the way it addresses critical issues of direction and accuracy. Good effort Pendles, now keep vibrating.:thumbsu:

[Snag Breac]

Sadly Rocca was unfit for duty in the ANZAC Day game. He was a late withdrawal, but was in the coach's box supporting the lads. Hopefully he'll back to full fitness by next week.

Posters who participated in the mass Positive Vibrational Exercise will be pleased to note that the full effects of our efforts were directed today to the whole team. A magnificent victory. ROCCAdemption congratulates the entire team, and especially Paul Medhurst for his heroic efforts.:thumbsu:

[Snag Breac]

Excerpt from an article by Jason Phelan on the ANZAC game, from the Collingwood website.

Full forward Anthony Rocca was a late withdrawal from the side, but his absence did not adversely affect the Pies’ forward set-up.
“We’ve kicked 20-odd goals and had 40-odd shots … which is significant against a side that has been a bit of a nuisance to other sides this year, but I don’t whether that’s the best we can do,” Malthouse said.
The coach refused to speculate on a likely return date for Rocca who has an unspecified injury which Malthouse wasn’t about to divulge.
“He’s got a couple of niggles that players his age get from time to time,” he said.
“You’ve got to remember he came off a very serious ankle injury at the end of last year.”

Rocca was limping during the game last weekend. Does anyone know what the injury is? Is it his ankle again? Why won't MM divulge the details? Would appreciate any info.

[Optimax]

reading between the lines seems he hurt his ankle again.
looked to roll it late last week should be fine this week

[Snag Breac]

reading between the lines seems he hurt his ankle again.
looked to roll it late last week should be fine this week

Looks like you were right, Opti. This is from a Herald Sun article by Tony Sheahan with Jackie Epstein:

MEANWHILE, Collingwood forward Anthony Rocca has an ankle injury, but could return for Saturday's match against Hawthorn.
Rocca also felt some tightness in his hamstring against North Melbourne and withdrew from the Magpies outfit which won Friday's Anzac Day clash.
"His ankle has been troubling him, so we'll see how he goes on the track this week," Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said.
"We wouldn't rule him out this week yet, but he has some soreness."
Rocca's form had been a concern, but he was in good spirits in the rooms after the 73-point win.
Paul Medhurst with six goals and fellow forward Travis Cloke with five stepped up.
But Cloke said there was always room for Rocca.
"I reckon he's had his best pre-season he's had since I've been at the club anyway," Cloke said.
"He's in good nick, just copped a few big hits. He's still in for a great year and has kicked 11 goals so far."
Magpie legend Peter Daicos said the club should look to use Rocca in a different role.
"What are their concerns about playing him back, just for a change?" he said.
"I think Collingwood has a huge hole in the backline and it's being exploited. Even use him up the field at centre bounces. Or start moving him side on to the ball and running towards the goal.
"Anthony has a presence and they can't afford not to have him."

[Snag Breac]

An article by Jennifer Witham from www.collingwoodfc.com (http://www.collingwoodfc.com)

COLLINGWOOD is optimistic it will regain veteran duo Scott Burns and Anthony Rocca for this Saturday’s blockbuster with Hawthorn at the MCG.
Magpie skipper Burns hasn’t played since round two after suffering a calf injury while Rocca was a late withdrawal from Friday’s Anzac Day victory over Essendon for reasons coach Mick Malthouse explained as ‘a couple of niggles older players get from time to time’.
Veteran defender Shane Wakelin said the experienced pair should be available for selection but the club might opt to take advantage of the bye the following week and give them extra rest in the hope of increasing their impact later in the season.
“All the signs are pretty positive, it’s a difficult thing, (Burns) did one (a calf) in the pre-season so they’ll be quite conservative with it,” Wakelin said on Tuesday morning after the club’s recovery session at the St Kilda Sea Baths.
“We’re confident he will (play) but then I suppose there’s a week break afterwards which gives you an opportunity to freshen up on that weekend as well.
“We’re pretty positive about Anthony. Once again it’s a decision he’ll make along with medical staff. He’s still got three or four days to get up and get some good conditioning in the legs.”
The 33-year-old defender also said fellow backman Simon Prestigiacomo is ‘coming along well’ and has started running following persistent foot problems.
The club is confident the 30-year-old can play a role in the second half of the season.

[Optimax]

I have a strong feeling snag (similar to before rnd1) that the big rocca is going to come out and have a mighty game this week.

He got a rest last week so his niggles should have died down, and he copped it left right and cebtre about him being useless. I really think he is going to fire to shut a few people up this week.

hate to be the hawthron player that gets in his way early in the game he will get hit hard i think.

[Snag Breac]

Hold the above thought for our next game, Opti.:thumbsu::thumbsu::thumbsu:

There was a yawning chasm in our front line yesterday that all the small forwards in Australia could not fill. Anthony Rocca was missing, and we paid the price. Our feeble struggles against Hawthorn weren't helped by a slovenly and bedraggled midfield, or by the fact that Cloke and Thomas played below their considerable ability. We also miss Sean Rusling.

Tarkyn did a tremendous job, given what he was offered, but then he always does. But for him, our humiliation would have been complete indeed.

Bring back ROCCA!

[Snag Breac]

ROCCAdemption has wondered about the wisdom of posting this article, but has opted for full disclosure. But bad cess to Chapman.

From Sunday's Herald Sun, by Tony Sheahan

FORMER Hawthorn and Brisbane defender Nathan Chapman is poised to raid the AFL's best talent in a bid to convert footballers to NFL punters.
Chapman, who had a stint with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in 2004, is a director of ProKick Australia, which plans to send a letter to every AFL, VFL and under-18 TAC Cup-listed player to gauge interest of possible punting candidates.
Out-of-form Magpie forward Anthony Rocca is top priority.

The 31-year-old, whose older brother, Saverio, is punting with the Philadelphia Eagles, is out of contract at season's end.
"Anthony Rocca is getting older and needs to secure his future," Chapman said.

"Right now would be a perfect time for Anthony, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done.
"He probably wouldn't get a contract straight away. He needs to start practising kicking a gridiron ball. For (him), it's a case of if, not when."
Chapman suggested several other prodigious kicks could make it - nominating Brendan Fevola, Matthew Lloyd, Lindsay Gilbee, Dustin Fletcher and Quinten Lynch.
"If you can kick a Aussie rules ball 55 metres, you're a chance," he said.

"I've got half a dozen teams asking me who is available and they want video evidence, too."
One player sure to attract their interest is Rocca.
"If Collingwood is not going to play him or at the very worst not offer him a contract beyond this year, he should look to the future," Chapman said.

"Your future creeps on you and some players don't realise it."
Saverio Rocca was philosophical when asked about his younger brother's immediate future on Triple M radio last week: "I'm not too sure whether he (Anthony) will get another contract (at Collingwood).
"He said he was coming over, but he wants to get as much out of his football career back home first."
Chapman was less circumspect.

"Anthony could be as good as Sav, if not better. If I told the NFL scouts I have Sav's brother, who is bigger, maybe better and can kick the crap out of it, sure they'd jump at him.
"But Anthony needs to work out whether he likes American football, likes the US and would uproot his family.
"The best thing he can do is talk to Sav, who spent nine months in Australia practising and even played locally for the Western Crusaders.
"Sav didn't just pick up a ball, get on a plane and get an NFL contract. He did the hard yards.
"Even Ben Graham (former Geelong captain, turned New York Jets punter) had to practise."
As did Chapman, who played 76 AFL games between 1993 and 2000 before chasing a career in the States.
Chapman said the money on offer in the NFL made punting an attractive option for older AFL players.
"Sav made somewhere in the vicinity of 400 grand in his first year and could make anywhere up to 700 (grand). If the AFL boys want money, there is plenty to be made over there."
Ben Graham signed a six-year deal, worth a potential $6 million, after his rookie year.
Chapman will conduct an information day on Sunday, June 22, at the Carey Grammar sports complex in Bulleen.

[Snag Breac]

More Crumbs Than Loaf

Our big forwards didn't reap a bountiful goal harvest last week, with Rocca scoring 1 and Cloke none; but they did create opportunities for other players. Rocca, returning from injury, made his presence felt by keeping the opposition busy and prostrate much of the time. He leapt, tackled, dragged, wrestled, rolled, wrapped his legs around some guy and practically undressed another, and one nifty hand-ball became a significant goal-assist.

Hopefully the game against Geelong will result in more actual Rocca rockets. The question is, will he be matched with Scarlett? And if so, will Rocca be able to avenge former defeats by the defender with the lush, black locks? No doubt he'll be motivated. But that's not enough. He must find what Yeats describes as the; "...courage equal to desire."

Go Rocca, Go Ruthlessly!

[Rocca Flys High]

Yes! If not the goals, at least give the little fellas a chance to pick up the crumbs!

But I can see the big man getting more then 3 this time, easily!

[Snag Breac]

ROCCAdemption Has Taken Umbrage.

The ROCCAdemption thread is officially displeased with Michael Malthouse. At today's press conference he crudely singled out Anthony Rocca as one required to step up for tomorrow night's game against Geelong.

This from the Collingwood website:

The most obvious test for Friday night lies with Anthony Rocca, who is coming back from a foot injury and will be pitted against the game's premier defender in Matthew Scarlett, who clearly had the better of the veteran Pie last year.
"He's been very good, but he's the best fullback going around, isn't he? So, if he's playing on Anthony, Anthony's got to do something different," Malthouse said.
"I'm sure Anthony will look back over his last couple of games and think 'what did I do wrong, and what do I need to do', so really, the challenge goes out to these individuals."

Rocca isn't the only player who's been off form recently, and he's been criticised so thoroughly over the past few weeks that he must be only too conscious of the weight of expectation on him tomorrow night.
Never mind BF posters lambasted in the media over the past 2 days for criticising players, I will blame Malthouse if Rocca fails to perform and falls into a depression as a consequence. Malthouse would be better employed examining his own often inscrutable strategies and decisions.

May the footy Gods bless, protect and uphold Rocca tomorrow night.:thumbsu:

[Optimax]

Didnt say he was out of form snag, he was hinting about last years performance against the cats.

Anth would know he didnt do well against them last year, im sure he knows about the advertiser today and MM was just using this press conference as a way of firing up his Mighty enigma at Full forward.

If rocca fires up and delvery is half way decent good luck any full back in any side he is difficult nigh on impossible to stop, this is all MM is trying to do with it.

I hope it works im sure ant isnt too happy with the advertiser article and i hope he thinks of it and how much he wants to prove it wrong all night it will hold him in good stead

[Snag Breac]

This was originally posted by Cyclops in a thread on the main board. It's a ripper. and a lovely addition to ROCCAlit.:thumbsu::thumbsu::thumbsu:

Rocca wanted to get Scarlett alone
One out in the goalsquare
He keeps his distance through a system of touch,
and gentle persuasion
Oh he's wasting our time
Ump he's wasting time

Something happens and he's head of heels,
The umpire never finds out but he's head over heels!
Don't pay a free
Don't pay a free
Its just a play on...

[Rocca Flys High]

Despite getting one arm held, he still kicked Scarlett's ass.

But what a Winger! Who said he didn't have the engine? Played everywhere!

[Optimax]

Despite getting one arm held, he still kicked Scarlett's ass.

But what a Winger! Who said he didn't have the engine? Played everywhere!
Hmm so whose bitch is who?

Played a ripper on scarlett did the big man

[Snag Breac]

Hmm so whose bitch is who?

Played a ripper on scarlett did the big man

Yes, I though he played a particularly generous game - tripping lightly around the opposition and occasionally falling heavily on two or three of them. A proper celebratory report to follow, but have been out cavorting all day and haven't time now.....

[Snag Breac]

This was originally posted by Cyclops in a thread on the main board. It's a ripper. and a lovely addition to ROCCAlit.:thumbsu::thumbsu::thumbsu:

Rocca wanted to get Scarlett alone
One out in the goalsquare
He keeps his distance through a system of touch,
and gentle persuasion
Oh he's wasting our time
Ump he's wasting time




Cyclops' poetic prediction turned out to be spot on, with Rocca dangling possibilities before Scarlett all night and giving Cloke, Didak, Thomas and Davis the chance to rip in and score. Anthony seemed to enjoy himself, playing an unaccustomed role which had him well out of his usual goal-square base. The other forwards had the benefit of his precision kicking and he marked, tackled and ran most of the night.

So I forgive MM for his pre-match challenge to Rocca. According to posters on the main board, the whole thing was a ploy to fox Geelong while Rocca played decoy. But could Geelong really be that simple minded?:confused:

Anyway, Rocca makes a wonderful wingman, or whatever he was on Friday night. Herewith an excerpt from an article by Courtney Walsh, which appeared in The Australian - a serious paper, unlike a certain disreputable provincial rag. I won't mention its name. The shades of the ROCCAdemption thread will not be thus polluted.

Under immense pressure, Geelong's normally sublime skills fell away. Consider the opening eight minutes of the second term, with Collingwood leading by 26 points after a six-goal blitz to start the match. Steve Johnson, last year's Norm Smith medallist, sold one dummy when running towards goal in a bid to spark the Cats, but there was no fooling Collingwood twice as he was hunted down by Harry O'Brien.

Then Joel Selwood, last year's Rising Star, chipped a ball 15m to a contest within enemy territory that saw the ball spill to Anthony Rocca who extended the Pies' lead beyond five goals.

The key forward, challenged a day earlier by Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse after being thrashed by champion Geelong full-back Matthew Scarlett in the preliminary final, responded splendidly with a hard-working performance matched across the board by the Pies.

In contrast, only All-Australian midfielders Gary Ablett and perhaps Corey could argue they had the better of their opponents, but Collingwood's dominance forced Geelong's defence to look sideways and backwards to find a target.

[Snag Breac]

http://i31.tinypic.com/15r15dy.jpg

The following article by Jake Niall appears in today's Age Sport.:thumbsu:
Note the air-supremacy evident in the above photo.

GEELONG will learn soon whether the Friday night massacre was just the long-postponed dip it had to have, or a portent of increased vulnerability. To most observers, the outcome said more about Collingwood.
But there was one significant game within the game, played between Geelong's Matthew Scarlett — the game's premier defender — and the imposing yet erratic Anthony Rocca. This contest went decisively to the Magpies, in a manner that captured the attention of Geelong's rivals.
Scarlett shapes as the most important player in this year's premiership race — a judgement supported by defence-minded former coaches Danny Frawley and Robert Shaw, the latter noting that the full-back is usually the linchpin of a premiership team.
"The history of the great sides is that they are built around great full-backs. Kevin Sheedy often used to say this," said Shaw, now Fremantle's football manager, reeling off the names of Geoff Southby, Kelvin Moore, David Dench, Stephen Silvagni, Dustin Fletcher and Mal Michael.
Scarlett is, quite simply, the most indispensable player in the benchmark team. Gary Ablett might be as good, maybe even better, but other clubs believe his absence — or curtailment — wouldn't be as debilitating as that of Scarlett, who no longer has Matthew Egan, the injured All-Australian centre half-back, in support.
The loss of Egan for the season has forced the Cats to play P-plater Harry Taylor in a key defensive position in his first season. Up until Friday night, the Cats had gotten away with it, in part because few teams have the potency of Collingwood's power forward tandem of Rocca and Travis Cloke; the Lions, which have perhaps the most dynamic duo (Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw) were without Brown when they gave the Cats a fright at Geelong.
Hawthorn has, ominously, Buddy Franklin and Jarryd Roughead. The Cats haven't faced that double act yet, and it is worrisome for them that most of this year's premiership competitors — principally Hawthorn, Sydney, the Lions (and maybe Collingwood) — have more threatening key forwards than the teams they obliterated last year. The consensus is that two capable targets are needed to trouble them.
Aware of Scarlett's capacity not only to run off an aerobically challenged Rocca, but to control Collingwood's scoring area, the Magpies instructed Rocca to lead up the ground, sometimes as high as the wing, and drag the champion defender away from his sphere of influence — the defensive 50-metre arc.
Scarlett followed Rocca upfield, leaving the green Taylor exposed in one-out contests with Cloke, who grabbed six contested marks and booted four goals — three in the first half.
Rocca's one goal meant Scarlett held his stingy average for goals conceded this year but, as Frawley saw it, Rocca's performance — he plucked several marks and set up at least two goals — would have won high praise from coach Michael Malthouse because of what it did for his team. Knowing that Scarlett was out of the way, Collingwood booted the ball into its 50-metre arc quickly, backing its talented forwards to beat the rest of the Cats, including Taylor and an unsure Tom Harley, who seldom gets the best or second-best forward these days.
"You need someone who attracts the ball," said Frawley of the tactic of dragging Scarlett upfield. "(And) Rocca can kick from outside 50 metres."
Geelong yesterday acknowledged that it had erred by allowing Scarlett to be drawn out of the red zone and that he should have stayed back and played on whoever was at full-forward.
Geelong football operations manager Neil Balme said Scarlett and the Cats had planned for the defender to stay at home. "That was what was supposed to happen. Probably because of the nature of an Anthony Rocca it was a little bit harder to do."
Balme said Collingwood wasn't the first club to adopt tactics aimed at removing Scarlett from the scoring area. "They're always trying to do that … to take Scarlett out of the play."
The Cats have seen it, and acknowledged their mistake, but don't believe, in any case, that Collingwood's tactic had much influence on the result. Balme said the scale of defeat was caused by Geelong's collective failure in reaction to Collingwood's excellence, especially in applying pressure (55 tackles to half-time) and winning the ball.
"It (the Scarlett issue) is exacerbated by all the other things that happen," Balme said.
Shaw, Sheedy's opposition coach in Essendon's better days, recalled that teams routinely sought to drag Fletcher, a rebounding playmaker in the Scarlett mould, away from full-back. The Dons often responded by leaving their champion defender in his position, even if this meant he ended up on a lesser, or smaller opponent; once, the 197-centimetre Fletcher played on 171-centimetre Phillip Matera because Matera was actually the de facto full-forward.
While Essendon was sometimes criticised for not playing Fletcher on the opposition's premier forward in those days, Shaw said he took the view that it was more important to "hold" the defensive structure. "If they're away from full-back, you've fallen for the opposition's wish list," he said.
Top of Geelong's wish list must be that Scarlett remains healthy. The Cats obviously won't say that they're road-kill without him, but they know where he stands in the competition.
Balme, a 1970s Richmond player, rates "Scarlo" superior to that era's best attacking full-back, David Dench.
How would the premiers fare without the premier defender? "That's hypothetical," said Balme. "But he's a very important player."
Scarlett followed Rocca upfield, leaving the green Taylor exposed in one-out contests with Cloke, who grabbed six contested marks and booted four goals — three in the first half.
Rocca's one goal meant Scarlett held his stingy average for goals conceded this year but, as Frawley saw it, Rocca's performance — he plucked several marks and set up at least two goals — would have won high praise from coach Michael Malthouse because of what it did for his team. Knowing that Scarlett was out of the way, Collingwood booted the ball into its 50-metre arc quickly, backing its talented forwards to beat the rest of the Cats, including Taylor and an unsure Tom Harley, who seldom gets the best or second-best forward these days.
"You need someone who attracts the ball," said Frawley of the tactic of dragging Scarlett upfield. "(And) Rocca can kick from outside 50 metres."
Geelong yesterday acknowledged that it had erred by allowing Scarlett to be drawn out of the red zone and that he should have stayed back and played on whoever was at full-forward.
Geelong football operations manager Neil Balme said Scarlett and the Cats had planned for the defender to stay at home. "That was what was supposed to happen. Probably because of the nature of an Anthony Rocca it was a little bit harder to do."
Balme said Collingwood wasn't the first club to adopt tactics aimed at removing Scarlett from the scoring area. "They're always trying to do that … to take Scarlett out of the play."
The Cats have seen it, and acknowledged their mistake, but don't believe, in any case, that Collingwood's tactic had much influence on the result. Balme said the scale of defeat was caused by Geelong's collective failure in reaction to Collingwood's excellence, especially in applying pressure (55 tackles to half-time) and winning the ball.
"It (the Scarlett issue) is exacerbated by all the other things that happen," Balme said.
Shaw, Sheedy's opposition coach in Essendon's better days, recalled that teams routinely sought to drag Fletcher, a rebounding playmaker in the Scarlett mould, away from full-back. The Dons often responded by leaving their champion defender in his position, even if this meant he ended up on a lesser, or smaller opponent; once, the 197-centimetre Fletcher played on 171-centimetre Phillip Matera because Matera was actually the de facto full-forward.
While Essendon was sometimes criticised for not playing Fletcher on the opposition's premier forward in those days, Shaw said he took the view that it was more important to "hold" the defensive structure. "If they're away from full-back, you've fallen for the opposition's wish list," he said.
Top of Geelong's wish list must be that Scarlett remains healthy. The Cats obviously won't say that they're road-kill without him, but they know where he stands in the competition.
Balme, a 1970s Richmond player, rates "Scarlo" superior to that era's best attacking full-back, David Dench.
How would the premiers fare without the premier defender? "That's hypothetical," said Balme. "But he's a very important player."

[RRRooocccaaa]

I reckon Rocca's new position is 'Lighthouse'. He's a beacon for our ball carriers to find a route to the goalsquare, but turns the lights out for any opposition foolish enough to stray too close. :)

That hit on Hunt was a beauty!

[Rocca Flys High]

Well sir, time to make a chase on Buddy and get a big bag here...that or help the others get a big bag and maybe get 20+ touches? Or a big Mark? 10 contested marks? Something like that?

[Snag Breac]

Well sir, time to make a chase on Buddy and get a big bag here...that or help the others get a big bag and maybe get 20+ touches? Or a big Mark? 10 contested marks? Something like that?

Hopefully Anthony will come back ravenous for goals after his enforced rest, RFH. He looked a little forlorn standing at the mouth of the race just before the game.:( I trust he's got the crepe bandages wound around that ankle.

[Snag Breac]

From collingwoodfc.com.au

Anthony Rocca trained strongly on Wednesday and is on track to return to the side to take on Melbourne
http://i31.tinypic.com/16gxy6d.jpg
Collingwood has added three players to its squad for Monday’s round 11 Queen’s Birthday clash with Melbourne at the MCG.

Key forward Anthony Rocca is set to return after missing one week with an ankle injury, while promising forward Ben Reid and emerging midfielder Ryan Cook have also been included in the squad of 25.

There are no ‘outs’ at this stage.

Rocca, who has battled ankle problems at different times during the season, has played seven matches, including an excellent performance playing on Geelong’s Matthew Scarlett in the Magpies’ stunning 86-point win in round nine.

Cook played in rounds six and seven and has managed five matches in two seasons, while Reid appeared against North Melbourne in round five after playing three matches in his debut season of 2007.

The match marks a significant milestone for in-form Magpie Leon Davis, who becomes the first indigenous player to play 150 games for Collingwood.

Davis is enjoying a super season as a forward/midfielder, and has developed into one of the most consistently dangerous players players in the Collingwood side.

Melbourne, meanwhile, loses forward Russell Robertson to a season-ending achilles injury, with defender Jared Rivers among six players added to its squad.

2008 AFL Premiership Season – Round 11
Melbourne v Collingwood
Monday 9 June
MCG, 2:10pm

Hopefully ROCCA will play and get a swag of goals to help Grace Darling (ROCCAdemption sub-ed) celebrate her 15th birthday.:thumbsu:

[skeetz]

I reckon young Clokey is really missing the Big Man in the forward line. Many times on Monday the ball was bombed in to Travis, only to be spoiled by the 3 backmen who were ganging up on him. Travis has played most of his career with Rocca by his side, and I think is finding it hard (as anyone would) to adjust to being double or even tripple-teamed. Rocca's size XL frame also helps to provide more crumbs for our roving small forwards.
Rocca is the missing link at the moment, and I really hope that his injury stuggles can be overcome. We will be a much better side with him fighting fit.

[Snag Breac]

Dark Days on ROCCAdemption Thread

ROCCAdemption is mourning the continued absence of our star forward from the Collingwood line-up. He was sorely missed in yesterday's scrappy win over Melbourne. We needed him to contest the ball and to create goals, directly or indirectly.

The playing field seems strangely empty without ROCCA. It's like reading a book from which the central character has been expurgated. But ROCCA's fitness and general wellbeing must take precedence, and the club is right in its decision to give him time to make a full recovery. He will be horribly missed in the upcoming game against Carlton. On behalf of all ROCCA fans, ROCCAdemption sends Irish blessings and best wishes to Anthony. The rosary will be recited for your swift recovery.:thumbsu:

ROCCAdemption is indebted to the Collingwood website for the following article:

COLLINGWOOD looks likely to be without spearhead Anthony Rocca until at least after the mid-season break, with coach Mick Malthouse declaring the veteran "won't be back in the immediate future" following his late withdrawal from Monday's game.
Rocca, 30, has played only seven games this year after being troubled by ankle and soreness issues.
He was named to return against Melbourne on Monday, but was a late omission owing to further problems with his troublesome ankle as well as illness.
Malthouse ruled Rocca out of returning next week against Carlton, and went as far to say the forward is more than likely to miss the weekend after as well.
"He probably wouldn't have played today regardless of his ankle," Malthouse said after the game.
"He was as crook as a dog yesterday, and hopefully he got that off his baby and isn't going to spread it through the football club.
"His ankle hasn't come up. We feel now that we need to get him right. I'm not going to put a week number on it, but he's not going to be playing next week. The week after we play the Bulldogs and he'll be assessed, but he probably won't (play)."
That forecast means Rocca won't be available to play until the Pies' round 14 clash with Sydney at ANZ Stadium, which falls on the second weekend of the split round.
Malthouse said ensuring the veteran is ready to go at full fitness instead of playing him hampered by the complaint is the club's aim.
"We'll make sure he's right to play instead of get him in sore and then back him off," he said.
"He needs to be able to train flat-out. He has a massive heart and can do all that sort of stuff, but we need him right."
Young gun Scott Pendlebury was the club's other late withdrawal from Monday's win over Melbourne, with the midfielder missing with back soreness.
"We didn't think he'd get through the game," Malthouse said, adding that he "doesn't know" if the 20-year-old will be available for next Sunday's showdown with the Blues.
collingwoodfc.com.au

And from today's Age:

COLLINGWOOD could face a key-forward crisis ahead of this weekend's clash against Carlton.
While coach Mick Malthouse said Anthony Rocca would be sidelined indefinitely, teammate Travis Cloke should come under the scrutiny of the match review panel after he appeared to headbutt Melbourne defender Matthew Warnock, who left the field bleeding from a head wound.
Malthouse said Rocca would be allowed to recover fully from his ankle injury. He said the club would no longer try to get Rocca up for each game, only to have him barely right. The big forward did not play against Melbourne yesterday because of a cold but would not have played anyway because of his injured ankle.
"He won't be back in the immediate future," Malthouse said. "He probably wouldn't have played today, actually, regardless of his ankle. He was as crook as a dog. Hopefully, he got that off his baby and is not going to spread it through the football club.
"His ankle hasn't come up and I'm of the opinion that instead of trying to get him up every week — Anthony's got massive heart, he's one bloke that would have got out there again today — we feel now that we have got to get him right."
Malthouse said he was more than likely to return after the mid-season break.
"We'll make sure Anthony's right to play instead of get him in sore, back him off. He needs to be able to train flat-out."

[Snag Breac]

ROCCAlit

ROCCAdemption readers may remember this poem by Cylcops, written before the Geelong game.

Rocca wanted to get Scarlett alone
One out in the goalsquare
He keeps his distance through a system of touch,
and gentle persuasion
Oh he's wasting our time
Ump he's wasting time

Something happens and he's head of heels,
The umpire never finds out but he's head over heels!
Don't pay a free
Don't pay a free
Its just a play on...


It now has a twin poem, written by Pies support Haiku Bob after Collingwood's epic victory. Scarlett again gets a special mention.:D


Between the first tackle
and the last goal
my gaping mouth
rotting red leaves
Scarlett trampled on
all night
early lead
the Collingwood in me
grows uneasy
unable to sleep —
choosing which goals
I'm going to count
I look forward to the latest report

Magnificent stuff.:thumbsu:

[Snag Breac]

ROCCA Sorely, Bitterly Missed.....

Still recovering from his ankle injury, Anthony Rocca again watched the game from the sidelines yesterday, and boy! was he missed. :(
But he was among Pies players who came to honour Nathan Buckley. Here's Rocca, head and shoulders above the crowd just before the game. Doesn't he look well in his suit?
http://i29.tinypic.com/in4oax.jpg

On a sad note, the ROCCAdemption thread is in prayer-mode today for Didaka, who is ill at present. Didaka was good enough to create the logo for the ROCCAdemption thread, which is proudly displayed in the OP.

Didaka also created logos for many other Buddy Board threads. No doubt my fellow buddy reporters join ROCCAdemption in wishing him good news and a swift recovery.:thumbsu:

[Rocca Flys High]

Hope you get well son Didaka.

Still, the team need their big man back, some one to lead that forward line to glory, get well soon Pebs, we need ya!

[Snag Breac]

Hotrod from the Collingwood website has always been much admired by ROCCAdemption Media, and never more so than in his sentiments towards ROCCA. This is his latest Hot Potato.

THE HORROR, THE HORROR!!

Or to put it another way…………

FRIENDS FOR LIFE

Losing to Carlton twice is like being Oprah Winfrey’s couch.
It’s a crushing experience dear Spudsters.

It’s like Roger Federer waking up one morning to discover all the tennis
courts in the world have turned to clay.

And right now the Blues are like Rapha Nadal to us.

To top it all off, Collingwood legend Tony Shaw has criticized the incumbent coach,
Maestro Malthouse, of being “out coached”!
The Maestro had better take heed too, coz if anybody is an expert on being “out coached” then it surely is our Tony.

Tony’s beef, this time, seems to be with the Maestro’s handling of his nephew.
Funny that. His last beef involved another family member.
He clearly sees parallels with his own treatment of the Lakeside Latin all those years
ago.

Frankly, as supporters, we need to treat that last quarter capitulation like toilet paper and put it behind us and focus on the ridiculously scheduled twilight encounter against the Doggies next Sundee.

And will he or wont he?

The Lakeside Latin I’m talking about.
Will those big hairy tentacles retake their rightful place in the Magpie goal square next weekend?

For the love of Bucks I hope the answer is “YES!!!”

Collingwood without Rocca is like Van Halen without David Lee Roth.
It’s like Jerry Springer without white trash.
It’s like bacon without eggs.
Heck, it’s like America without a war!

I don’t care if the Italian Stallion can’t walk …….
JUST GET HIM OUT THERE!!!!!!!!

Watching the Pies little blokes running around looking for crumbs that aren’t there is more annoying than seagulls at the beach.

If Ant needs too, let him use a skinny Bulldogs player as a crutch.
Or better yet, he could use Acker as a pouf to rest his sore wheel on in between Collingwood forward thrusts.
Admittedly that would require dragging the two tone player back deep into their defensive fifty and would require sheer coaching genius to pull off.

We better ask Tony Shaw how to do it.

Please note: the views expressed in the above article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Collingwood Football Club or employees of the club. The Collingwood Football Club would like to acknowledge the tireless work of its supporters who contribute to collingwoodfc.com.au.
collingwoodfc.com.au

[Rocca Flys High]

Heck, that proved true again today!

With Rocca, we were up by 4 goals. Without him, we collasped...

[Snag Breac]

Not Dead Yet!

Reports of Rocca's career demise are premature and much exaggerated. Let's wait to hear the prognosis before we lapse into maudlin sentimentality and/or despair.

It was thrilling to see our Titanic hero stretch his great arms around his team mates in the pre-game motivational huddle. But hope soon turned to anxiety. The ROCCAdemption binoculars were trained on our principal from the outset, and we were dismayed to observe that he was walking with a slight limp from early in the game. He should not have taken the field yesterday, however dire our circumstances; he was not ready.

On behalf of his fans, who are legion, we wish Rocca a swift and full recovery.

[Snag Breac]

Reprieve

It was good news and bad news about Rocca today; good because he didn't, as many dreaded, announce his retirement, bad because he's likely to be out of the side for some weeks to come with a new ankle injury.

Dave the Man has posted this on the main board, but it has been copied here for the official ROCCAdemption record.

Good luck to Anthony and his family for tomorrow and the coming weeks. Come back soon.:thumbsu: But not until healing is complete.

Collingwood will be without Anthony Rocca and Ben Reid for up to two months after both players suffered serious injuries in Sunday’s 10-point loss to the Bulldogs.

Rocca, who was playing his first game since round nine, appears to have opened up a crack in his right ankle which he had operated on in 2007. The incident occurred in the third quarter.

Rocca will be seeing a specialist on Monday afternoon, however more surgery is likely to be required, and he is set to be out of action for six to eight weeks.

Reid, the club’s first pick at number eight overall in the 2006 draft, has broken one of the metatarsal bones in his right foot and will be out for around eight weeks.

The pair joins fellow forward Sean Rusling, who suffered a shoulder injury in round one and is out for the season, on the sidelines.

Reid has played three games in 2008 after playing three in his debut season last year, while Rocca has played 238 games and booted 411 goals in

Travis Cloke will return to the side to play Sydney in a fortnight following the split round break, while Leon Davis (ankle) and Josh Fraser (knee) are both considered good chances to play against the Swans.

Key defender Simon Prestigiacomo impressed for Collingwood’s VFL team on Saturday afternoon, in his first match for the season.

[Ron]

Come back Ant. I wanna see you in the team in 2009.
Actually i want to see you playing finals for us this year, but hey i'll settle for 09 rather than nothing ever again.

[Snag Breac]

Come back Ant. I wanna see you in the team in 2009.
Actually i want to see you playing finals for us this year, but hey i'll settle for 09 rather than nothing ever again.

^^^^^^^Seconded.:thumbsu:

From Fairfax:

Collingwood deny they took an unnecessary risk in playing Anthony Rocca despite the star forward breaking down just three quarters into his AFL comeback and facing possible season-ending surgery.
The Magpies say Rocca will be sidelined for the next two months, but insist the latest injury to his troublesome right ankle is not career-threatening.
Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said Rocca would have surgery on Tuesday to have a pin inserted in his troublesome right ankle.
Rocca, who has missed several weeks through ankle soreness, was not initially named in the Magpies side beaten by the Western Bulldogs on Sudnay night.
But defender Shane Wakelin's late withdrawal with illness resulted in the Magpies giving Rocca a surprise 11th hour call-up.
It was a move which backfired spectacularly when Rocca hobbled off in the third term with what was revealed on Monday as a new crack in the ankle he had surgery on late last year.
Walsh insisted playing Rocca was a decision made on the best medical advice, and described as "mischievous", questioning about whether the Magpies had rushed the player back without being fully fit.
"Both in the medical staff's opinion and his own he was right to play and keen to play, so all the boxes were ticked," Walsh said.
"During the week he was always keen. But when the team was selected ... on balance given the structure of the team, we thought we won't put Anthony in.
"But when the spot came up, the medical clearance was there. We certainly didn't make the selection knowing that we were rolling the dice."
Rocca would need to heal in best-case scenario time to figure again in the home-and-away season - though Collingwood are a big chance of playing finals, widening his 2008 window.
But his latest setback on an often-injured leg has again raised questions about whether Rocca, who turns 31 in August, is at the crossroads of his career.
"It's in the same vicinity (as the last crack) ... it's the same leg and the same foot he had his Achilles injury in a few years back," Walsh said.
"He's a big man, he's a power athlete, his game revolves around jumping.
"It's a bit hard to answer (whether there could be an ongoing weakness in the foot).
"The thing we go on is the surgeon says it will repair fine.
"It'll heal perfectly. It's not career-threatening."
Young Magpies key forward Ben Reid is also expected to be sidelined for the next two months with a broken bone in his foot, also sustained in Sunday night's match.
© 2008 AAP (http://news.smh.com.au/action/displayCopyrightNotice?sourceOrganisation=AAP)

[Snag Breac]

From today's Australian:

Stephen Rielly | June 24, 2008

http://i31.tinypic.com/2dua4ie.jpg

HOWEVER credible Collingwood's premiership prospects were, they diminished markedly yesterday when key forward Anthony Rocca was told he requires ankle surgery that may sideline him for the remainder of the season.
The 30 year-old's right ankle, the same one that was pinned at the end of last season, needs a screw at the base of the shin where a crack was discovered by scans ordered after he was forced to hobble from the field in Sunday's 10-point loss to Western Bulldogs.
The club said yesterday it was anticipating an eight-week recovery but conceded that it could take up to a month longer, which would effectively mean the end of Rocca's season and, perhaps, that of the Magpies.
Collingwood's head of football operations, Geoff Walsh, suggested that if the Magpies slid down the table from here it could be possible that Rocca might not be risked again this year.
"It's a six to 12 week (injury) in terms of what our medical advice is; 12 weeks if it takes a long time to heal and six weeks if it is extraordinary," Walsh said.
"Eight weeks is about the norm. By the six or so week mark we'll have a good guide as to how Anthony's going, how the team's travelling, how other teams around us are travelling but more so how Anthony's health is and how quickly the crack has healed."
Walsh said that the advice Rocca received was that he could expect to make a full recovery but the latest injury is the third to the same ankle in four years - he snapped his right achilles tendon in 2005 - and there are concerns that Rocca can ever again add a potent aerial game to his power. "He's a big man, a power athlete, his game revolves around jumping more than most, he puts a lot of stress through that area because of his frame and because of his style of play," Walsh conceded.
"The surgeon's advice this morning was that, given the time frame he's going to be out, that he'll come good and be as new sort of thing. He'll heal perfectly and it's not career threatening. The only thing we go on is that the surgeon says he will be fine."
Rocca had been troubled by soreness in his foot for several weeks before Sunday's match and, according to Walsh, was a late replacement for Shane Wakelin. He denied, however, that the club took an unnecessary risk with its most imposing forward because of the one-match suspension of Travis Cloke.
"We wouldn't have played him if he wasn't fit. Anthony trained OK and both in the opinion of the medical staff and himself he was right to play and keen and we were keen for him to play. All the boxes were ticked," Walsh said.
Losing Rocca means that Cloke will have to fulfill the role of tall, marking forward almost solo. Sean Rusling is out for the season and Ben Reid broke his foot in Sunday's game and will miss the next eight weeks.

[Snag Breac]

ROCCA To Play On in 2009!


http://i27.tinypic.com/jrfrli.jpg

Just two days after undergoing ankle surgery, Anthony Rocca spoke to CTV about his latest injury setback and what the future holds for him.

The 238-game forward, who turns 31 in August, injured his right ankle during the third quarter of last Sunday's round 13 clash between Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome.

He revealed his surgery was a success and that he wants to play on in 2009, with the prospect of moving to the United States to tackle the NFL a long way off.

“It (the surgery) went really well. Julian Feller did it, and he’s done pretty much all my surgery,” Rocca told CTV on Thursday.

“He took out the old screw that was in there. I had a crack but it wasn’t where the old work was done. It was the same bone, but in a different area of the bone. He put in a couple of screws, tightened them in, and said everything went really well.”

Rocca also explained how he was feeling going into the game, and what went through his head when he felt pain in the leg.

“All those people who say I shouldn’t have played, I can tell you right now I was right to play and it was my choice, and it was the doctor’s choice as well for me to play.

“I trained for the whole week leading up to the game, and felt pretty good, there’s never a time when a player goes out to train and isn’t a little bit sore in some sort of area.”

“The moment I did it... Ben Johnson kicked me the ball, I turned around and I knew that if I had to start running I was going to do some sort of damage, because I was a little bit sore beforehand.

“I just had to take off for the ball, and in the motion of running I just felt a sharp pain run up the side of my leg, and I had to kick the ball at the same time, and lucky enough the kick was a good one, which went to one of our players (Cameron Wood), it wasn’t intended for him, but it did go to him.

“Running off I knew I’d done a little bit of damage, and I could hardly put weight on it at the same time, so I knew I’d done some damage, but to the extent I didn’t know, until I did some scans the day after.”

As for media speculation that his career is in jeopardy and that he should immediately consider a move to the USA to follow in the footsteps of his brother Sav and take up a career in NFL punting, it’s something that frustrates Rocca, with his determination to continue his AFL career beyond 2008 obvious.

“I want to play AFL football, there are a lot of things that I haven’t achieved yet that I want to, and I won’t even think about playing NFL until I’ve come close to achieving or achieved those goals.

“I see that NFL stuff way down the track, and I’m not even really concerned about that stuff that people are talking about.

“I’ve just got to let it (the injury) settle down for the next couple of weeks, pretty much sit like this for a week or two, letting the bone heal, letting all the swelling go down, at some stage head into the club and take things easy for a while.

“They said the recovery time’s about eight to 12 weeks. Eight weeks still gives us a little bit of time in the season, and if we play finals, there’s a little bit of hope there, but just from my point of view right now, I want to get this right, because I want to play next year, and have a good lead up to next year.”

Ironically Sav is in Melbourne enjoying the off-season break from his duties with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, where he has been on the roster for one season, and attended last Sunday's game at Telstra Dome.

"(Sav) and his family have been back for a week now, they decided to come to the game and have a look.

"Unfortunately it was not on a good night where I hurt myself, but his family’s good.

"I spoke to his wife a couple of times, and she said to me, if you’re even thinking about doing NFL, which I haven’t been, she said that do everything you can and get everything you can out of AFL football, because if you come over there (the United States), with things still unchartered in the AFL, then you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.

"Everyone thinks the NFL is going to be an easy gig. I’ve seen it, my brother has found it so hard, and at times he thought he wasn't going to get picked for the NFL team, and it’s not as easy as what people think it’s going to be."

To watch the full Anthony Rocca interview on CTV click on the link at the top of this article.
Exclusive to collingwoodfc.com.au

[Snag Breac]

ROCCA Back On His Feet

Collingwood Football Club 12:55 PM Thu 10 July, 2008
http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/collingwood_article_images/080709_blanket246.jpg Eddie McGuire, Anthony Rocca, Joffa and Mick Gayfer get behind 'Bring a Blanket Day'


This Saturday marks the second ‘Bring a Blanket Day’, a wonderful community initiative aimed at keeping people warm in winter!

In 2007 the Collingwood Football Club successfully launched ‘Bring a Blanket Day’ at a match at the MCG.

Supporters were encouraged to bring a blanket to the game. Over 1000 blankets were collected at the game and donated to the Salvation Army for distribution to homeless people around Melbourne.

‘Bring a Blanket Day’ will again take place on Saturday when Collingwood takes on Adelaide at the MCG, and all footy fans are encouraged to bring a blanket, and then drop them off at the Blue Star Truck at gate one after the game.

On Wednesday at the Lexus Centre Collingwood president Eddie McGuire was joined by Anthony Rocca, cheer squad member Joffa and the ‘Human Blanket’ himself, 1990 premiership hero Mick Gayfer, to raise awareness for the day and encourage all Magpie supporters to bring a blanket to the MCG on Saturday afternoon and support ‘Bring a Blanket Day’.

Jason Family Bedding is proudly supporting ‘Bring a Blanket Day’, and has kindly donated 100 blankets to get the ball rolling

[MagpieGirl_13]

I THINK, THINK, it's Mia Jessica..... possibly his daughter's first & middle name.....:confused:

I lie. :eek::o
I've reciently seen a pic with a clear view of his arm & it says Mia Gioia (or Giaia)...... I THINK! :o
Don't know if it's his daughters middle name or what.... but yeah.... if anyone wanted to know.

[Godfrey Jones]

hi girls and ... well mostly girls.

i found this on favourites channel, surprised he hasnt shared it with anyone yet...

AS0VqwPjGrc


great video

[Snag Breac]

hi girls and ... well mostly girls.

i found this on favourites channel, surprised he hasnt shared it with anyone yet...

AS0VqwPjGrc


great video

Eh? Mostly girls? I'll have you know that Rocca's a man's man, God. He's no pretty boy. Tough men weep when he slams one in from 90 meters, :eek: and masses of male posters worship at his feet.:thumbsu:

[Optimax]

Eh? Mostly girls? I'll have you know that Rocca's a man's man, God. He's no pretty boy. Tough men weep when he slams one in from 90 meters, :eek: and masses of male posters worship at his feet.:thumbsu:
i am said tough man.

Ant has given me many memories from football games

[Godfrey Jones]

Eh? Mostly girls? I'll have you know that Rocca's a man's man, God. He's no pretty boy. Tough men weep when he slams one in from 90 meters, :eek: and masses of male posters worship at his feet.:thumbsu:

i was adressing the people in this thread Snag. I was going to say girls and boys and then noticed that its pretty much only you and magpiegirl13 in this thread...

[Snag Breac]

i was adressing the people in this thread Snag. I was going to say girls and boys and then noticed that its pretty much only you and magpiegirl13 in this thread...

Well that's because it's meant to be a votive thread, God; something you should be comfortable with. ;)

Actually, the original idea was that the buddy threads weren't for discussion, just reports. But I got lonely in here. I love it when people post, and females just communicate more readily, I expect.

[Godfrey Jones]

i'm not sure why you think i was being disrespectful. i was only addressing the people i saw in this thread.

anyways lets move on.

[MagpieGirl_13]

Nice video GJ!
RRRRROOOOOOOCCCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!! I will never forget that! love hearing it! :thumbsu::D

[Snag Breac]

i'm not sure why you think i was being disrespectful. i was only addressing the people i saw in this thread.

anyways lets move on.

I didn't. You misinterpret me. Poor communication on my part. I knew you were only being your usual playful self. Don't feel miffed. :)

Anyway, I must download that video. Should only take until tomorrow morning with my dial-up.:o

[Snag Breac]

Finally had time to view Favourites' video - see above. Am now so high that I can't settle down to work. It was thrilling. What about that ball that went into space? These may be dark days on the ROCCAdemption thread with Anthony out injured, but to quote Rex Hunt in the video; "You can't be down forever; eventually the tide must turn......." Here's hoping that Rocca's revolution isn't too far away.

Thanks for making that video, Favourites, and thanks for posting it, God.:thumbsu:

[Godfrey Jones]

yeh faves is a champ for that video

good enough to get anyone pumped.

rocccca bye babyyyyy!

[Snag Breac]

HOMP is at this moment visiting the ROCCAdemption thread, and would like to say to Anthony, "Dear Anthony, hope to see you flying high and kicking great goals in the black and white very soon.":thumbsu:

[Snag Breac]

"O happy player, to bear the weight of Antony!"

http://i33.tinypic.com/jre446.jpg

Ok, so Shakespeare left out the "h", but even he was a ROCCA fan.

[Snag Breac]

Rocca's Coaching Pays Off

Rocca has been nursing his injured ankle, but he hasn't been idle. He's been helping out as a forward coach with the Pies VFL team, and the benefits of his input were seen in Sunday's impressive victory over the Bedigo Bombers. With Josh Fraser playing and taking a turn in the ruck, forward delivery was good and Chris Dawes took every opportunity to kick goals.

Here's Rocca looking as fierce as a coach as he does when he's in the forward line himself. And he'd probably enjoy it more than that American game.:thumbsu:
http://i38.tinypic.com/29pfbpj.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/jhwmyb.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/2kr5eg.jpg

[Godfrey Jones]

looks like its dawes who is doing the coaching actUally :p

[Snag Breac]

looks like its dawes who is doing the coaching actUally :p

I know what you mean. That boy has plenty of presence and character.

[Godfrey Jones]

so rocca is there to take tips?? :p

hahaha im just joking

by the way i dont like the look of that one guy with the '49ers jacket

keep your hands off our rock man you yanks!

[Snag Breac]

so rocca is there to take tips?? :p

hahaha im just joking

by the way i dont like the look of that one guy with the '49ers jacket

keep your hands off our rock man you yanks!

God! I hadn't noticed him. Fancy Rocca off entertaining the likes of George Bush instead of us.:eek:

[Dave The Man]

Him on the Black and White Show:


JQYQ9qYldIs

[Godfrey Jones]

God! I hadn't noticed him. Fancy Rocca off entertaining the likes of George Bush instead of us.:eek:

Snag! Do you recall that article some weeks ago, maybe the week after his injury, saying he didnt want to leave because he has unfinished business with collingwood??

actually i cant remember if he was saying that, or it was someone giving him advice.

nevertheless i think he'll go on next year

[Snag Breac]

Thanks banks for posting the CTV footage Dave.:thumbsu:

Yes, God, he'll go on. It'll be like the Titanic song, the heart does go on......:p

[RRRooocccaaa]

the kick does go on...

I quite like the sound of him coaching - let's hope it's only in a mentoring capacity for the next few years, though ;-)

[Snag Breac]

News at last.... SEN has a reporter atm at Gosch's Paddock, and they're speculating that ROCCA might be available to play as early as this week. This article form today's AGE, by Rohan Connolly;

COLLINGWOOD is clearly a team that thrives on a challenge. The Magpies inevitably seem to pull out their best when the odds are clearly stacked most tellingly against them.Hence their capacity already this season to have beaten the otherwise unbeatable Geelong. To have rebounded from the potentially fatal Heath Shaw affair and the subsequent club-imposed suspension of him and Alan Didak. And on Saturday, to have beaten Adelaide in a final at the Crows' own AAMI Stadium, a second win in an interstate final in two years.
Now there's another mini-mountain to climb. To become only the third team since the revamping of the final eight in 2000 to reach a preliminary final from the bottom half of the eight. And make no mistake, these Pies are more than capable of doing so.
They've already beaten Saturday night's opponent, St Kilda, twice this season. They'll have an extra day to prepare than the Saints, and certainly won't have to work as hard to keep the mood around the club buoyant, Ross Lyon's team the latest in a long line to have had Geelong sink the slipper of harsh reality into their standing in the AFL pecking order.
They'll also have some genuine claims based on something other than blind hope that they just might be able to at least offer the rampant Cats a contest should they make it all the way to the grand final.
The biggest problem for Collingwood in this scenario, of course, is that it will play Hawthorn in the preliminary final should it knock over the Saints. And as much as the Magpies have been able to stretch the Cats, they haven't come remotely close to pushing the Hawks this season, two meetings resulting in losses by 65, then 54 points.
The Magpies don't mind the one-on-one stuff at all, part of the explanation for their continued dominance of Sydney. Against the teams who play spare men, and like to zone off, a la Alastair Clarkson's side, it's a different story. But at least Hawthorn or Collingwood would be far from lost causes against the Cats come grand final day. Frankly, it's hard to say the same about the Saints, the Western Bulldogs or Sydney.
Geelong has 41 wins from its past 43 games. The Magpies wiped them in one of those losses. The other was by five points. The Cats yesterday dismissed St Kilda's attempt to challenge the status quo with contempt, only inaccuracy costing them a margin that might have been more than 100 points at one stage.
Even Lady Luck doesn't seem capable of interfering with the prospect of a second successive Geelong flag. Brent Prismall is desperately unfortunate, having finally won a spot in this great team, to have surrendered it, quite possibly for most of next season as well, after rupturing knee ligaments. Paul Chapman has concerns over a hamstring and quad.
Chapman is a great player and would be a significant loss. But another premiership pair in James Kelly and David Wojcinski are fairly handy replacements.
Perhaps the most we can expect is for an opponent to make the Cats work considerably harder for the honour than they had to yesterday, when they simply brushed off the Saints like a pack of pesky schoolboys. In difficult conditions that required strength and commitment, Geelong had so much more, reflected in 123 contested possessions to 91, double the Saints' amount of contested marks, and an emphatic 37-27 win in the clearance count.
That's a drubbing in the "physicality" stakes by any measure, and a real concern for Lyon coming up against a team that has beaten his for contested ball in both previous meetings this season, and that has its hardest nut and skipper Scott Burns set to return this week.
The other qualifying final loser, the Western Bulldogs, have their concerns, too, of course, following Friday night's drubbing at Hawthorn's capable hands. But the Dogs will be happier coming up against Sydney than they would have North Melbourne, two wins over the Swans already this season some cause for comfort, as is the advantage of an extra day to prepare, and its opponent having to front up after a taxing four quarters on a soggy ANZ Stadium.
The Swans' win over North Melbourne was arguably as good as they can get. The Bulldogs' pitiful effort on Friday night was as poor as Rodney Eade's side has been since its miserable end to 2007. It's hard not to see the Dogs bouncing back.
So might the Saints, but doing so might well be a far bigger ask. Collingwood is clearly one of the better-credentialled teams the bottom half of the eight has had for some time. To overcome it, St Kilda won't be able to rely upon a better preparation, nor better recent form.
In fact, in this week's formguide, history is about the Saints' only friend. And perhaps not even that, given their opponent seems to enjoy challenging even that.


Anthony Rocca was a star when Collingwood thrashed Geelong in round nine, but his loss will provide the Magpies with yet another challenge in their finals campaign.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/ffximage/2008/09/07/svROCCA.jpg Photo: Sebastian Costanzo

[Snag Breac]

Well, the season's over, and the 2008 ROCCAdemption thread must close forever.:( It's been a privilege to document the highs and lows of a difficult season for our hero, in which he managed only 8 games, due to injury; and unless ScottyD does the right (wrong) thing in the 2009 Buddy Draft, I may not have the chance to be Rocca's buddy reporter again.

So one last photo, which was taken at training in the week before our last game. Still recovering from his injured ankle, Rocca graciously shouldered the burden of entertaining the crowd.
http://i38.tinypic.com/w7ikxz.jpg

We look forward to seeing Rocca back in form and on the field in 2009.:thumbsu:

I'll finish this thread as I began it, with a poem, an Irish one this time. It's a farewell poem.

THE PARTING GLASS

Oh, all the money that e’er I spent,
I spent it in good company,
And all the harm that e’er I’ve done,
Alas, it was to none but me!
And all I’ve done for want of wit,
To memory now I can’t recall,
So fill to me the parting glass.
Good night, and joy be with you all.

Oh, all the comrades that e’er I had,
They’re sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts that e’er I had,
Would wish me one more day to stay.
But since it falls unto my lot
That I should rise and you should not,
I’ll gently rise and softly call,
Good night, and joy be with you all.;)

[Snag Breac]

Ok, one more post. It seems only proper to conclude with coach Brad Scott's player assessment report.

Anthony Rocca: (http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/Home/Players/PlayerProfile/tabid/8170/Default.aspx?playerid=14104&typeid=2) The 238 game veteran had his 2008 season cut short after suffering a broken foot in round 13. He started the year by kicking six goals against Fremantle and will be a massive inclusion for 2009.

It was a very frustrating year for Anthony with his ankle. But with a full preseason under his belt we expect him to be back at his best. Opposition clubs fear him more than anyone.

And just adding a couple of nice shots of Rocca at the Copeland. Here he is with his wife, Enza, who looks very classy - a natural beauty.
http://i33.tinypic.com/11v6xyv.jpg

And the Collingwood Wrinklies - or rather, elder statesmen of the game.
http://i33.tinypic.com/256txmr.jpg

[Rohan25]

Thanks Snag, this thread was really entertaining reading all year. Are you going to take Rocca next year as well?

[ROCCA200]

^she might have some competition :p

[Snag Breac]

Thanks Snag, this thread was really entertaining reading all year. Are you going to take Rocca next year as well?

Thank you, Rohan. It would be an honour to be Rocca's buddy reporter again, but it seems I may have some competition, and not just from ROCCA200.

We must all submit ourselves to fate and the draft to be conducted by ScottyD. No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

And it might be only fair to Rocca to have his reports written by someone who actually knew something about footy for a change.:p

[ROCCA200]

oh you're being too hard on yourself SB...

well done

[Snag Breac]

More farewells than Nellie Melba, but I couldn't resist this - created by Pie Eyed and El Greco.:thumbsu:

http://i37.tinypic.com/2j5e1rm.jpg

[Pie eyed]

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii259/westic/2009-Rocca1680x1050.jpg






http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii259/westic/?action=view&current=2009-Rocca1680x1050.jpg

[Snag Breac]

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii259/westic/2009-Rocca1680x1050.jpg






http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii259/westic/?action=view&current=2009-Rocca1680x1050.jpg

Thanks Pie Eyed. Rocca fans are invited to download this playful portrait of a hero to use on their cyber walls. :thumbsu:

Now what about doing a serious one, Pie Eyed?

[Pie eyed]

On the way Snag.
1). Have to take a little time for such an important subject and 2). as (apart from Bucks) Rocca is easily the most photographed current Magpie, I have to get the right Pic to it justice and 3). I am doing it in 4 resolutions (to keep everyone happy) as well as a phone wallpaper sized version.

[Godfrey Jones]

can you mention, worst 200 gamer, on the picture somewhere? :p

[Pie eyed]

can you mention, worst 200 gamer, on the picture somewhere? :p

I vehemently refute that assertion. I will not have any part in propagating such fantasy.
There are numerous Bulldogs, Tigers, Swans, Cats, Bombers and Carlton players who would definitely be ahead of Pebs on that list.:D:D:D
(and don't ask me to name them, go look at their lists for the last 15 years.)

[Godfrey Jones]

:D

It was actually a reference to that Vinnie Vegas thread on the main board :p , of course Rocca's not the worst 200 gamer. that belongs to Anthony Rock!!

[Pie eyed]

:D

It was actually a reference to that Vinnie Vegas thread on the main board :p , of course Rocca's not the worst 200 gamer. that belongs to Anthony Rock!!


:D I got it. I've read the thread. Should have used the :rolleyes:

[Godfrey Jones]

^haha good, I was also responding to Snag .. who sent a few death threats my way after that comment :p

[Pie eyed]

^haha good, I was also responding to Snag .. who sent a few death threats my way after that comment :p


A woman scorned and all that eh?
Some nice back peddling there....lol


Not being a woman or batting for the opposition I'm going on a limb here....
Rocca may not (see above...I'm just guessing....) be the best looking bloke but he definitely has something that makes him seem like a very interesting character. If I got to choose 10 dinner guests Pebs would be high on the list.
He could sit between Liv Tyler and Chrissy Amphlet.:D:D

[Snag Breac]

^haha good, I was also responding to Snag .. who sent a few death threats my way after that comment :p

If you think that was a death threat, God, you've led a very sheltered life.

Look how messy you've made this thread, now! Just when it was beautifully finished, with all the end-threads sewn in.

Ah well, I suppose the interest in Rocca can't be confined to neat time-space parcels.

You are officially forgiven, God, but don't let anything like that ever happen again, or it's a pair of plastic kneecaps for you.:eek::eek::eek: