Rocca might make it!

[Somebody]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/84755/default.aspx

Sounds like he just has a regulation bad sprain with no complications with his chronic foot problem (o0therwise probably wound't be in contention). Would be great if he can be fit for the Cats. Not sure how important he would be but certainly wound't hurt (despite the rantings about his supposed lack of "forward pressure") and I think he is definitely needed against StK or Dogs - about the only one on our list who could outmark Lake, and would really make a diff as a gorilla target against the ultra tight StK defense. Judging by the Stk game he is our best marking forward at present, so should be an asset vs Geelong also.

So I think we need him in the grannie and therefore he needs the match practice vs Geelong. I'd be inclined to drop Anthony for Rocca if he is available, tough after his heroic goal but if Rocca had been there he probably wouldn't have needed a free - he would have taken the mark "uncontested" and there'd be 2 or 3 Crows sprawled on the ground around him.

 

[Snag Breac]

Great post, Somebody, but you know you're going to get verbally slaughtered for it.

I'll back MM to do the right thing, and if that should result in seeing my favourite player take the field, I'll go into orbit.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

If he couldn't last the St.Kilda game, he won't last the Geelong game.

I'd be happy to play him IF he was 100%. But nothing less.

And drop Anthony for him? Don't think so.

 

[zorbadunde]

i dont want rocca in the side. even fit the players have past him now.

 

[jimmy_clement#8]

Dean Laidley had it spot on last night. What we had for a while in round 3. Anthony, Cloke and Leigh Brown up forward, with Browny negating Scarlett.

Need someone mobile on Scarlett, and Rocca can't do that. Browny can.

 

[King Woodie]

Rocca won't play - he can't be relied on to get through the game.

MM did the right thing bringing him back for the St Kilda game, but we now must admit that he is finished.

I would prefer to see Nathan Brown / Ben Reid / Chris Dawes in the side before Rocca now. We can't risk having him go down leave us one short again.

 

[Somebody]

Rocca won't play - he can't be relied on to get through the game.

MM did the right thing bringing him back for the St Kilda game, but we now must admit that he is finished.

I would prefer to see Nathan Brown / Ben Reid / Chris Dawes in the side before Rocca now. We can't risk having him go down leave us one short again.

I'll say it again, you can't play it safe in finals. Rocca would be a risk, but it would be much more of a risk IMO not playing him. I suppose a compromise would be to save him for the grannie, and play him next week in the VFL final which would still be pretty good match practice. But that's a risk too, he might be the diff vs Geelong.

I think we're pretty clear now that the Crows aren't as good as the other 3 remaining sides, so last week's dysfunctional forward line will probably not be good enough against any of them.

 

[the_fresh]

Rocca plays I won't even watch because we'll get beat by at least 50 pts.
His game 2 weeks ago showed he's slow, not up to AFL standards & stuffs our side around.

 

[OniAu]

why the hell do people keep thinking rocca is going to be our saviour and is the key to the flag, hes barely even played in the last 3 years. He has been a great player for us no doubt in the past, but thats where it is, in the past.

Bring in dawes over rocca any day.

 

[charmer]

Rocca plays I won't even watch because we'll get beat by at least 50 pts.
His game 2 weeks ago showed he's slow, not up to AFL standards & stuffs our side around.

Yet he was our leading goal scorer on the day and was by far our most dangerous forward....hmmm I don't want to know what you think about Anthony - who barely got a touch!

 

[mdc]

I think we're pretty clear now that the Crows aren't as good as the other 3 remaining sides

Don't really agree. Crows are better than the Bulldogs for mine.

As for Rocca, you can't play all 3 of Rocca/Anthony/Cloke in the same forward-line. If we wanted to be really gutsy, we could drop Cloke and get Rocca/Anthony to do their best Brown/Bradshaw imitation, but it won't happen.

 

[Spange]

I don't agree with bringing Rocca back.

Prefer to see you boys go in unchanged. It sucks when you see a player go to the bench and all of a sudden your interchanges are screwed. I don't think he will last the whole game with the amount of game time he has had this year. Time to cash in on the NFL for Mr. Rocca and I don't mean that in a deragatory way as I will be cheering for your boys to get up this saturday

 

[MAGP1ES]

Please God NO!

 

[Optimax]

Rocca plays I won't even watch because we'll get beat by at least 50 pts.
His game 2 weeks ago showed he's slow, not up to AFL standards & stuffs our side around.

good please dont come

 

[scruffydog]

I'll be honest. The idea of this terrifies me a little. It's too late in the season to start making massive changes like this. I don't know if we could really say our forward structure was in a shambles against Saints because the ball barely went down there, but still.

Also I agree that if he's not 100% and there's even a chance he'll go down, he shouldnt play. Last thing we want is to have 3 men on the bench 5 minutes in.

Having said that...

Rocca plays I won't even watch because we'll get beat by at least 50 pts.
His game 2 weeks ago showed he's slow, not up to AFL standards & stuffs our side around.

... I don't agree with this. Ignoring the fact you're a pretty weak supporter if that's true, the fact is he was nowhere near our worst against the Saints. He worked hard and did a few decent things, which is more than can be said for half our team.

 

[omen_au]

Rocca can not play, sorry big fella but enough is enough, we need fit, match fit people on the field and that means you should play in the VFL abd win that premiership

 

[smiddaz123]

My feelings have not changed. I don't think he's fit enough to play 4 quarters of finals footy.

I honestly doubt whether he can play two weeks of AFL footy in a row....he'd be pulling up so sore after week one.

 

[Blur]

Look, we have enough players pushing for selection, not to mention the young guys proving their worth on the big stage. I'm past Rocca completely, we need to just let him go already. If he plays this week, a younger player will be robbed of finals experience.

 

[Brent24]

I don't rate Dawes all that highly, but I would still rather he play ahead of Rocca.

 

[twoforjoy]

I'm not in favour of it, as much as I've loved the big fella over the years and acknowlege his past importance to our structure.

We have been good enough to move on without him this year - I'd rather have Leroy Brown up forward to offer a big physical presence which is about all Pebs would offer us now.

Way too much risk IMO. It would demonstrate a profound lack of MM's confidence in the structures, systems and players that have been winning us games in the second part of the year. Just No.

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

I'm not in favour of it, as much as I've loved the big fella over the years and acknowlege his past importance to our structure.

We have been good enough to move on without him this year - I'd rather have Leroy Brown up forward to offer a big physical presence which is about all Pebs would offer us now.

Way too much risk IMO. It would demonstrate a profound lack of MM's confidence in the structures, systems and players that have been winning us games in the second part of the year. Just No.

Agree completely.
I think MM panicked after the Dogs game and stopped trusting the structure.

We lost a game that lacked intensity. There were players short-stepping as to not get injured for finals, we laid half as many tackles as usual and it wasn't because we'd lost the plot, it's because we had top 4 wrapped up.

Mick's response was to make WAY TOO MANY changes and we looked lost against St Kilda. We played the same reactive football for a quarter and a half against adelaide and weren't good enough. Mick needs to trust the side and the structure that won every game but 2 after round 8. I think he realised that in the second half on the weekend.

The side this year was designed to play football without Rocca who hasn't played good footy for 2 years. Rocca won't play, if he does we're gone IMO.

 

[Conrad670]

I don’t know weather or not he should play, but would have preferred him under that Maxwell bomb into the 50 at the end of the Crows game (In terms of taking the grab).

 

[Axl the great]

How bout taking the kick though??

 

[Optimax]

How bout taking the kick though??

it was his distance so he would have kicked it

 

[Conrad670]

How bout taking the kick though??

Much rather Jack taking the kick! Rocca would be 60/40 at best from there. But we are always a chance when Rocca is at the fall of the ball, he very rarley gets out marked. I dont think we should drop Jack, but if we plan to send the ball in long he could be handy.