View Full Version : Antony Rocca: worst CHF in the AFL?
Gene Simmons
26 Apr 2008, 14:46
Collingwood are a much better team without him.
Last season when he missed afew games through suspension, the Pies never looked better! How about yesterday? Pies best game & biggest winning margin of the year.
Richmond finally realised that players like Bowden, Pettifer, Tivendale wont take them to the next level. Just like Hawks made hard decisons with Holland, Barker, Tallis & co.
It's about time Collingwood made some hard decisions!!
vinnie_vegas69
26 Apr 2008, 14:55
Hasn't played at CHF since he did his achilles in 2005. To paraphrase Garry Lyon on Triple M yesterday, "there aren't a lot of true CHFs in the competition now, but Travis Cloke is about as close as you'll get". So obviously, Anthony hasn't been playing at the position.
But don't let facts get in the way of your silly argument.
Anthony Rocca is still capable of kicking 5-6 goals on any given day, and led the league in contested marks last year. We would have smashed Essendon with him in the side, just as we did without him.
Regardless of that fact, there are MANY tall forwards in the league that aren't as good as Anthony Rocca.
Rocca should have retired at the end of last season. The Pies forwardline is a bit of a mess at the moment. Travis Cloke has pretty much peaked, and is never going to be a world-beater. Rusling is either injured, or being offered up as trade bait. He's too small for a "KP forward" and doesn't have much football ability. Big question marks over Reid's ability at this level - kicking not great, marking not great, and his meek attack on the ball is a concern e.g. V North. There just isn't much quality there, and I suspect that is the reason Rocca's still on their list this year. :)
JoondalupJ
26 Apr 2008, 15:08
Collingwood are a much better team without him.
Last season when he missed afew games through suspension, the Pies never looked better! How about yesterday? Pies best game & biggest winning margin of the year.
Richmond finally realised that players like Bowden, Pettifer, Tivendale wont take them to the next level. Just like Hawks made hard decisons with Holland, Barker, Tallis & co.
It's about time Collingwood made some hard decisions!!
Anthony can sometimes perform brilliantly but his consistency is terrible ,and yes maybe the Pies do play better without him being their main target,maybe use him somewhere else?
CaptainDavey
26 Apr 2008, 15:30
I see your Rocca and I raise you Brad Miller
japaljarri
26 Apr 2008, 15:48
I see your Rocca and I raise you Brad Miller
My most sincere sympathy :p
Rocca is an average forward in my opinion, Sav was a much better player
Gene Simmons
26 Apr 2008, 18:34
I see your Rocca and I raise you Brad Miller
I would still rather Brad Miller! At least he can play as a defender!
Gerrards_a_star
26 Apr 2008, 19:05
I would still rather Brad Miller! At least he can play as a defender!
Your joking right??
Subtemperate
26 Apr 2008, 19:05
He's too small for a "KP forward"
How big were Dunstall and Ablett again?
Last season when he missed afew games through suspension, the Pies never looked better!
Funny... because I could have sworn our best games were won with him in the side.
THE worst is pretty strong. i doubt he's the worst, he's an okay player. when hes firing, collingwood generally win.
DOCKER MAN
27 Apr 2008, 01:13
no Ashley Hansen is the worst
Magpie_Matty
27 Apr 2008, 02:18
Even Worse Then Hansen Is Ken McGregor
what a ridiculous thread.
first of all as stated Rocca doesnt play CHF - hes a FF.
secondly to say that Collingwood is a better team without is a rash statement. Those two games you talk about last year were against Hawthorn - in which we lost. Despite the debut of Ben Reid we lacked a potent option up forward and our leading goal kicked for that game was a HBF in Marty Clarke.
The second game we only just won in a wet weather game in which Rocca wouldnt have had much influence in anyway.
im sick of explaining this BUT the amount of output we get out of Rocca is usually based on how well the team can supply it to Rocca.
On days like against Carlton and NthMelb in rounds 4 and 5 when we moved the ball slowly allowing numbers to get back and when we did move it quickly our disposal was poor Rocca simply couldnt get a sniff and im sure neither would any other FF.
On the days we can move it well and effeciently Rocca thrives. He will beat opponents in the air more times than not and when he doesnt he creates contest and spills the ball to our smaller forwards in Davis, Didak, Medhurst and Thomas - hence last season he led the league in contested marks and Collingwood led the league in scoring effeciency (the highest rate of scoring each time we went inside 50.)
To have a player that has that ability is rare and its something that most sides dont have.
Sure he may only get 2 kicks for the day on his shockers but the contest he creates brings others into the games and when he is creating those contest its usually up against 3 or 4 opponents.
Vince Van Mackay
29 Apr 2008, 11:22
Even Worse Then Hansen Is Ken McGregor
Yes, while McGregor is bad, he isn't a CHF so badluck.
Rocca should have retired at the end of last season. The Pies forwardline is a bit of a mess at the moment.
Paul Medhurst 17 ave 2.83
Anthony Rocca 13 - 2.6
Travis Cloke 11 - 1.83
Leon Davis 11 - 1.83
yes very concerning when your 4 leading forwards average share the load and 9 goals a game combined
Then there's Dale Thomas - 9 Goals, Alan Didak - 8 Goals.
perhaps we should aspire to make our forward line abit more like carltons:
Fevola 27 ave 4.5
Judd (midfielder) 7 - 1.16
Betts 7 - 1.16
Fisher 7 - 1.16
after that you've got stevens 6, pfieiffer 3, o'hailpin 3, kreuzer 3.
Take out fevola and your most prolific forward is 173cm Eddie Betts or Brad Fisher, neither whom have scored more than 2 goals in any game this year.
Now that is what you call a dysfunctional forward line. Take out fevola and carlton basically have 0% chance of winning.
Travis Cloke has pretty much peaked, and is never going to be a world-beater.
you say this after he just kicked 5 goals... he's still performing quite well, but thanks for your concern.
Paul Medhurst 17 ave 2.83
Anthony Rocca 13 - 2.6
Travis Cloke 11 - 1.83
Leon Davis 11 - 1.83
Dale Thomas - 9 Goals,
Alan Didak - 8 Goals.
interesting to compare our forwardline with hawthorns - who most would say is the best performed in the AFL at the moment:
Franklin 30
Roughead 18
Osborne 10
Rioli 8
Williams 7
Young 4
Boyle 4
Franklin is obviously the difference - but after him the difference is pretty much made up by the rest of the collingwood forwards
enosis7
29 Apr 2008, 13:09
Rocca is possibly the least versatile key forward, but far from the worst. Kicked over 50 goals each of the past 2 seasons and led the competition in contested marks in 2007.
In any case, he hasn't really been a CHF for a few years now. He's played more as a FF. T Cloke is our CHF.
Rocca sustained an ankle injury during the prelim last year, for which he had surgery during the break. He was soundly beaten by Scarlett (no shame in that) and was useless once the ball hit the ground, but how much of this was due to injury, we'll never know. He kicked 9 goals in the previous 2 finals. He also kicked 4* goals (*5) in a low scoring and wet grand final. His flaws are obvious, but he's a proven big game player and not many big forwards can claim the same record.
This year he started on fire and looked much fitter, but picked up a niggle which restricted his output and he had to rest. In our two most recent losses our crumbers weren't front and square and made Rocca look worse than he was whenever he was double/triple teamed and the ball spilled.
love.for.the.sherrin
3 May 2008, 16:10
Rocca should retire at the end of the season.
The way collingwood played without him on ANZAC DAY without him just shows how much better bcollingwoods structure works without him!
Rocca should retire at the end of the season.
The way collingwood played without him on ANZAC DAY without him just shows how much better bcollingwoods structure works without him!
so how did our structure look today without him?
As i saw yesterday Rocca takes one of the best defenders and he makes a contest which gives Didak and Davis a chance to crumb
Collingwood need Rocca to take pressure off Cloke.