Rocca should come in this week

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S

Somebody

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Apr 12, 2007
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Collingwood
It might seem a bit risky but really, even if he has a very quiet game he will contribute almost as much as Dawes at this stage. As has been said many times, he demands the best KPdefender and brings it to ground (prevents oppo from marking) better than anyone except maybe Trav and is a better contested mark. (having said that I think DAwes is handy and will be v good but more next year I'd say.)

He apparently played strongly for 85% gametime last week acc to official website article so should be ready for promotion. It's a bit rushed but not much choice given the timing.

So almost worst case scenario (except re-injury) would be he'd get 4 to 7 marks, bring it to ground for crumbers another 7 or so times, kick 2 to 3 goals, apply plenty of scary forward pressure, and inspire and straighten up the team a lot.
the inspiration factor is a big one - in first game back for a while the boys would really be playing for him, and having a scary enforcer at both ends would really solidify the team. He is a big part of the heart and soul of the team obviously.

If they could get away with it I'd play him about 60% of game time this week. then next week 80+
 
I disagree, odds are if hes playing seniors he would try to do more then what he is able to, so he can benefit the team. For his own sake, and our teams, he needs to be kept in the twos till he is match fit....
 

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I agree. You gotta bring him up. Use the next two weeks to determine whether he is in the best 22, and if he is, keep him in. If he is not, drop him for the Dogs clash. Our finals start in round 22.
 
I agree with everything everyone's said - and that's the club's dilemma.

Rocca needs match fitness, but playing him now incurs risk. Yet if we don't give him the chance to have a go at senior level, he may not get up in time for finals, where he could be a real asset for all the reasons that Somebody propounds above.

I'd say give him a game, but will trust the coaching and fitness staff to get it right for the team.:thumbsu:
 
No way should he play this week - if he wants to play he's going to have to force his way in... two games in the VFL, one with 50% game time and the other 85% with a modest return in both is not enough IMO.

To bring him in as the OP suggests to play around 60% is not on.

You need to be able to rely on every player to be able to play at their maximum at senior level if we are going to maintain our momentum and virtually carrying one bloke for half the game is conceding the opposition an advantage from the start.
 
^^ I agree with The Dawes.

Also, I was at the VFL game last week and although Rocca moved better than he has of recent times his fitness levels are nowhere near high enough to be playing AFL. He was playing pretty deep yet was really struggling for breath as the game went on and struggling to lift his legs (even by Rocca standards).

He needs at least 2 more VFL games and even then I dont think he suits our current structure and game plan.

I love the big fella but there are no fairytale endings in football.
 
The Dawes said:
......................

To bring him in as the OP suggests to play around 60% is not on.

You need to be able to rely on every player to be able to play at their maximum at senior level if we are going to maintain our momentum and virtually carrying one bloke for half the game is conceding the opposition an advantage from the start.
Click to expand...
Well that's why I stipulated ".....if we can get away with it".

If Richmond are proving difficult to dispatch, they can't afford that luxury (of only ~60% game time).

(PS I think I figured out what OP means...)
 
If Rocca is to play a part in September, he must play the last 2-3 matches to find some sort of touch.

He will probably get his chance, otherwise they would have told him to retire.
 
Somebody said:
So almost worst case scenario (except re-injury) would be he'd get 4 to 7 marks, bring it to ground for crumbers another 7 or so times, kick 2 to 3 goals, apply plenty of scary forward pressure, and inspire and straighten up the team a lot.
Click to expand...


Worse case scenario is him kicking 2-3? Kicking 0 is more like a worse case scenario.

I think this weekend is a good opportunity to get some senior game time into him. If he passes his test, he should play.
 

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More of Dawes I think. If Anthony busts open a game at VFL level this weekend kicking 4-5 and dawes has a mediocre game then bring him in, but a bad game at AFL level could demoralise him and create a drain for the team. That said, Dawes defensive pressure hasn't been much to shout about to date. Hmmmm.
 
The Dawes said:
No way should he play this week - if he wants to play he's going to have to force his way in... two games in the VFL, one with 50% game time and the other 85% with a modest return in both is not enough IMO.

To bring him in as the OP suggests to play around 60% is not on.

You need to be able to rely on every player to be able to play at their maximum at senior level if we are going to maintain our momentum and virtually carrying one bloke for half the game is conceding the opposition an advantage from the start.
Click to expand...

I would have been in agreeance with this statement however I did see an interesting stat on the collingwood website this week-

Dayne Beams
In his 13th game for the club since arriving via the 29th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Dayne Beams racked up 20 possessions in only 62% game time. The 19-year-old has averaged 66% game time under Mick Malthouse, the coach not wanting to overwork the future star. Only Steele Sidebottom (64.7%) and Chris Bryan (58.9%) have averaged less AFL match time at the club.

That may be detrimental to Rocca's chances in that we cannot afford to carry two players through a game and is almost certainly the reason we've rarely seen Beams and Steele play together. Great to see the Pies looking after the youngster's and keeping (IMO) our future number one midfielder fit and fresh but a suprising stat nonetheless.
 
Somebody said:
It might seem a bit risky but really, even if he has a very quiet game he will contribute almost as much as Dawes at this stage. As has been said many times, he demands the best KPdefender and brings it to ground (prevents oppo from marking) better than anyone except maybe Trav and is a better contested mark. (having said that I think DAwes is handy and will be v good but more next year I'd say.)

He apparently played strongly for 85% gametime last week acc to official website article so should be ready for promotion. It's a bit rushed but not much choice given the timing.

So almost worst case scenario (except re-injury) would be he'd get 4 to 7 marks, bring it to ground for crumbers another 7 or so times, kick 2 to 3 goals, apply plenty of scary forward pressure, and inspire and straighten up the team a lot.
the inspiration factor is a big one - in first game back for a while the boys would really be playing for him, and having a scary enforcer at both ends would really solidify the team. He is a big part of the heart and soul of the team obviously.

If they could get away with it I'd play him about 60% of game time this week. then next week 80+
Click to expand...
that's far from the worst case scenario....

Worst case should be:
3-4 kicks
No goals
His opponent running off him at EVERY opportunity and generating run for the other team (similar to what Lake did to JA in that last quarter when we played the doggies)
 
Kirby said:
^^ I agree with The Dawes.

Also, I was at the VFL game last week and although Rocca moved better than he has of recent times his fitness levels are nowhere near high enough to be playing AFL. He was playing pretty deep yet was really struggling for breath as the game went on and struggling to lift his legs (even by Rocca standards).

He needs at least 2 more VFL games and even then I dont think he suits our current structure and game plan.

I love the big fella but there are no fairytale endings in football.
Click to expand...

Yes there are. Stuart Dew and Shane Crawford at last year's GF. If I knew more about footy, I could probably come up with others.
 
chop_me said:
that's far from the worst case scenario....

Worst case should be:
3-4 kicks
No goals
His opponent running off him at EVERY opportunity and generating run for the other team (similar to what Lake did to JA in that last quarter when we played the doggies)
Click to expand...
Well...I did say almost. Also we beat the dogs and Anthony is still there, so your point is??

We are talking about Richmond here, which on form is a better first game than Sydney or Dogs obviously, even though every game is a danger game in modern footy.
 

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Rocca should come in this week

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