https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au The complete history of Australia's greatest sporting club Tue, 30 Jan 2024 23:13:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.21 https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/luke-godden/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:16 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/luke-godden/ Playing predominantly at half back, Godden played the last 20 games of 1998 and took out the club’s Most Improved Player Award. He was a regular during the mid-way part of the 1999 season but did not play senior football after round 17, a day in which Carlton’s Simon Beaumont destroyed the Collingwood backline with eight first half goals. Godden was delisted at the end of the season as new Mick Malthouse sought to regenerate his list.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/anthony-rocca/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:14 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/anthony-rocca/ Rocca would say later that he was denied a game in the latter part of 1996 because the club knew he was going to leave, but coach Rodney Eade strongly denied it. He and two others were allowed to run out with the Sydney team for the 1996 Grand Final, but it turned out to be his last appearance in club colours. Collingwood traded Ben Wilson, Mark Orchard and a draft pick to Sydney so they could bring him to Victoria Park. He showed the capacity to haul down big marks and kick long goals in his first year with Collingwood in 1997, but his overall performances were nothing exceptional. He began well in 1998, but was thrown out of gear by suspension in the early part of the season and was subsequently dropped on three occasions. The club was so concerned about his lack of stamina that he was sent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra for tests on lactic acid build-up. But in 1999 he showed more stamina and had a far more satisfactory year, running second in the best and fairest to skipper Nathan Buckley. He played in a variety of positions and furthered his football education in the process. A move to defence was the turning point and by the season’s end he was able to return to attack with a more rounded view of the game. His prodigious kicking ensured that he could create forward thrusts from the defensive zone. Again in 2000, Rocca’s form went from poor to sheer brilliance and demonstrated that if he could find consistency and a bit of endurance he would have been one of the top players in the competition. He kicked the winning goal against his old side at the SCG early in the 2000 season and played several other outstanding games. His 33 goals topped the Magpies’ goalkicking. In 2001 he continued to have endurance problems and at the end of the season he had problems with osteitis pubis which cast a shadow over his future. He played an exceptional game in Collingwood’s losing Grand Final side in 2002, but in 2003 was suspended after the 2003 preliminary final and his absence proved crucial in the loss. He started 2004 in solid form, but was plagued by recurring ankle problems and his season finished after round 17. Rocca snapped an Achilles tendon just four weeks into season 2005 and came back in good touch in 2006 although the latter part of his season was patchy when he seemed to be troubled by his shoulder injuries. He had a good 2007 season, but ongoing ankle problems meant he only had seven games in 2008 and doubts emerged over his future. Groin and achilles problems restricted him to just four games in his final year, though he still raised one final effort to appear in the club’s Qualifying Final against St Kilda. A committed clubman, Rocca provided part-time assistance to Collingwood’s VFL team in the first two years that followed his retirement before taking on a full-time development role in 2012.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/scott-burns/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:05 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/scott-burns/ The underrated Burns was runner-up in the best and fairest award of 1996 and there were few players who could match his work ethic. Surprisingly for a player standing just 181 cm, he was second (to Nathan Buckley) on Collingwood’s 2000 marks list. A determined backman who never gave an inch on the field and was remorseless in applying pressure. By 1996 he broadened his role from being purely a defender to taking a hand in midfield and pushing forward. In that year he represented South Australia for the first time. The Magpies missed him when he injured his groin in the latter part of 1997 and the bad luck with injuries continued when he broke his arm in the first round of 1998. Two weeks after his return he was suspended for two games then to continue a horror season he was knocked out when he received the full force of a kick by Nathan Buckley. As a measure of his stature in the club the gritty all-rounder was appointed joint vice-captain in 1999. He was a fine example for the younger players in the team. Burns missed four games with a hamstring injury late in the year, but still polled well enough in the club best and fairest to run fourth. He had a solid 2000, but hamstring problems restricted him to eight games in 2001. He returned to fitness in 2002 and his hardness made him a leading light in Collingwood’s great year. He played in the Magpies’ losing grand final side and was runner-up in the best and fairest. He was again a constant driving force in 2003 when he came third in the best and fairest. As he reached veteran stage Burns was still able to make a significant impact coming off the bench and spending concentrated periods in the midfield. He was a fine captain for his final year in 2008.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/jon-hassall/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:59 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/jon-hassall/ In his 1997 autobiography, Collingwood Forever, teammate and captain Gavin Brown described Hassall as a “very quick player, over short and long distances,” lauding Hassall’s courage and fondly recalling the day he ran back into goalkicking legend Tony Lockett’s path and even gave the great ‘Plugger’ a cork. He moved to Hawthorn where he was given a more open role, using the wide expanses of Waverley Park to advantage, and it was a surprise to many when he was delisted at the end of 1999 after 94 senior games.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/mark-a-fraser/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:56 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/mark-a-fraser/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/saverio-rocca/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:56 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/saverio-rocca/ In his teens, Rocca’s first love was athletics, where he was the Australian discus champion at under-19 level. He was spotted by Keith Burns, Collingwood’s famous under-19s coach, when playing for North Reservoir Lakeside, the club that had produced Tony Shaw years earlier. From the get go, Rocca showed great strength and pace off the mark, but his endurance levels sometimes counted against him. Rocca made his senior debut in 1992 aged 18, playing 10 games for a return of 29 goals. Season 1993 was when ‘big Sav’ demonstrated what he was capable of, kicking five goals in the first round against Footscray. He played the role of spearhead in round two, only to be shifted out of the limelight by veteran teammate Peter Daicos, who kicked eight goals to see the Pies to victory over a Gary Ablett-inspired Geelong at Victoria Park. One week later, with Daicos out injured, Rocca kicked a match winning haul of five goals to sink Essendon before backing it up with six goals against Carlton’s Stephen Silvagni, the full back of the century. He reached further heights when he met Richmond at the MCG, when he booted four goals in the opening term and ended with 10 for the day. A fortnight later, he again registered double digits to annihilate the Bulldogs, snagging seven goals by half time. He ended his second season with 73 goals, placing him sixth in the Coleman Medal. Rocca began 1994 well, his seven-goal bag against Essendon in round five presenting a season highlight. He finished the year with 49 goals, but managed only nine in his last six games. It was during this time that he played his only final for the club, scoring a behind with his only kick of the day against West Coast in the Qualifying Final loss at the WACA. But his disappointing end to 1994 was quickly forgotten by the time 1995 rolled around. Rocca announced himself as a force to be reckoned with, kicking 93 goals for the season as well as winning his only Copeland Trophy. Although the Magpies were winless until round seven, it didn’t hinder Rocca, who benefited greatly from the presence of Dermott Brereton alongside him in the forward pocket. The Hawthorn legend been recruited from Sydney for one final fling at the AFL, and made his Collingwood debut in round three against Geelong. Rocca immediately benefited from Brereton’s experience, and netted six goals in their first outing together. His season caught fire in the famous ANZAC Day draw against Essendon when he kicked nine goals and two behinds against a young Dustin Fletcher. When the Pies finally broke through for a win against Sydney three weeks later, Rocca was in the thick of the action, netting four majors before slotting another 11 goals in the fortnight that followed. On a cold night at the MCG, Rocca was the cataylst behind Collingwood’s 96-point drubbing of the Crows, kicking 10 of his side’s 24 goals to earn the three Brownlow votes. It sparked a seven week run in which he kicked 40 goals at an average of more than five per game, capped off with eight goals from 10 marks against Essendon, a side that was on the end of many a Rocca thrashing in the years that followed. Rocca fell just short of the 100 goal barrier, slotting two in the final round of the home and away season as his side’s finals dream evaporated in the final quarter against Sydney. He never quite hit the heights of ’95 in the years that followed, but remained one of the most potent full forwards in the country. Rocca kicked 66 goals in 18 games in 1996, a year that was most memorable for his six goals on a Monday night against Geelong. Unfortunately he watched the next three games from the grandstand after dislocating his shoulder. He hit hit back strongly in 1997, kicking 76 goals to finish second in the Coleman Medal behind Adelaide star Tony Modra. He began the year well, kicking six majors against Port Adelaide in his first outing alongside his younger brother Anthony, who had been traded to Collingwood from Sydney over the summer. Rocca’s hot start continued, kicking 10 goals against the lowly Demons on a Friday night in round two. He fired against eventual Preliminary Finalists North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, kicking nine goals in a two week period under the Friday night lights. Unfortunately, that’s where the run ended, with Rocca and his teammates crashing to earth with a thud with heavy losses to Sydney and Hawthorn, with the full forward kicking just one goal in the two games. He jagged four against Richmond but a goalless afternoon against West Coast at an ice-cold Victoria Park meant he was sentenced to the reserves for a week Rocca earned a reprieve against Geelong but didn’t take his opportunities, managing just three behinds on a day his side recorded its sixth loss in as many games. He was again omitted for the round 15 meeting with Fremantle, only to earn a late call up to the seniors when Chad Liddell pulled out at the eleventh hour. The drought broke, for both player and team, with Rocca kicking nine goals in a 100-point win in front of the adoring Victoria Park crowd. Rocca’s form ebbed and flowed with his side’s as the year progressed, although he very nearly carried Collingwood into the finals when he kicked three goals from six scoring shots on a wet Monday night in Adelaide. By 1998, Rocca was one of Collingwood’s most recognisable figures, but the team’s gradual decline made life difficult for the man in the goal square. Rocca kicked 68 goals from 22 games, a haul highlighted by a career-high 11 goals against Fremantle at Victoria Park in round 10. As was the norm, he tormented Essendon on ANZAC Day, kicking a bag of seven on third gamer Matthew Banks. He also shelved talk of a poor record at Waverley Park with five goals against the Hawks in a hefty 86-point win in round 16, but inaccurate kicking plagued him from there on, finishing the year with 11 goals and 10 behinds in his last six games. With his side destined for the wooden spoon, Rocca found the going tough in the final year of the 20th Century. He kicked just 33 goals – his lowest return since his debut season. Groin and knee injuries made life tough and eventually forced him out of the last six games of the year. There were some bright moments, such as his seven goal effort against Geelong in a three-point loss at Kardinia Park. He also spent some time in the ruck during season as coach Tony Shaw, by now in his final season, began to prepare the club for life after Damian Monkhorst. The year 2000 heralded the birth of the Mick Malthouse era, but by September, it marked the end of the road for Saverio Rocca and Victoria Park. He began the year in fine form, kicking five in wet conditions to help roll Adelaide in round two before snagging six in a 73-point thrashing of Carlton a week later. But as the season wore on, he tapered off severely, with injuries calling an early end to his campaign after the loss to the Crows in round 17. Sadly, it was that 38-point loss at Football Park in which Rocca pulled on the jumper for the final time. The time had come for player and club to part ways, but without a trade in the offing, Rocca took his chances in the National Draft North Melbourne coach Denis Pagan was the man who breathed new life into Rocca’s career, offering him a second chance at the age of 27 with the 30th selection in the 2000 National Draft. He kicked 48 goals from 21 games for his new club in 2001 to win the Roos’ goalkicking. There was speculation at the end of the season that he would move to Adelaide or Geelong, but he re-signed with the Roos and had yet another solid season in 2002, kicking 50 goals to top the club goalkicking. Rocca struggled at times in 2003, but kept persevering. When he was unable to crack a place in the seniors for the first two months of 2004 the writing was on the wall, but he responded well and booted 49 goals in 15 games, including a bag of eight against Richmond in round 11. Revitalised, he had a strong season the following year although it ended in unusual circumstances when he had to be rushed to the ground with a police escort for North’s Elimination Final against Port Adelaide after being at hospital to attend the birth of his child. He was out of the team for the first half of 2006, but returned to be a handy contributor late in the year before announcing his retirement. Fittingly, Rocca’s final game was against Collingwood and his brother in round 22. Although his side lost by 68 points, Rocca kicked three goals and bowed out with a total of 748 goals from 257 senior games. After his retirement, Rocca moved to the United States to pursue a gridiron career. He will forever be a favourite son of the Collingwood supporters who stuck by the club during its bleakest decade, while his performance against Essendon in the ANZAC Day draw of 1995 ensures his legacy will live forever in the minds of football fans around Australia.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/shane-watson/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:54 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/shane-watson/ Opportunities were limited in the second half of the year, but he stamped himself as a player of the future when he played 20 of a possible 22 games in 1993, averaging 16.5 disposals per game and finishing runner-up to Mick McGuane in the Copeland Trophy. Watson spent much of his early years across half back and showed great resilience to rebound from a succession of bad head knocks. When in peak form he impressed as a player with a cool head under pressure who could deliver the ball well. A strong pair of hands equipped him for jobs on taller players when in defence, and he was a good reader of the play. His courage was never questioned, but it placed him in situations where he was cleaned up by oncoming opponents. Watson won 18 disposals in the heartbreaking two-point loss to West Coast in the 1994 Qualifying Final and was a regular throughout 1995. He missed a large chunk of football in the second half of 1996 but made his mark as a forward upon his return, kicking four goals in each of the last two games of the home and away season. He put together a solid 1997, marred only by a one-week suspension for a collision with West Coast playmaker Peter Matera in his 100th game. Switched into attack on a perminant basis the following year, Watson enjoyed his best season since ’93, kicking 33 goals from 54 scoring shots. At 186cm, Watson was the perfect foil for the Rocca brothers, with his safe hands and football smarts netting him two bags of five goals, both at Waverley Park. He polled a Brownlow vote after slotting five in a big win over the Hawks in round 16, but it would be another 18 months until he sang the song in victory again after an indifferent 1999 that saw him play just three games and none after ANZAC Day. The arrival of Mick Malthouse brought new opportunities, but aside from a three-goal, 26-disposal haul against the Kangaroos in round six, Watson’s campaign didn’t find the level of consistency it needed for him to maintain his place in the first choice 22. He played his final match against Adelaide in round 17 – ironically, the same nondescript game that marked the end of Sav Rocca’s career – and he was delisted at season’s end. Despite rumours that he might line up with Essendon, he turned out for the Northern Bullants in the VFL, winning the club’s best and fairest in 2003. He coached Lower Plenty in the Diamond Valley league and then worked with TAC Cup clubs Sandringham and the Eastern Ranges. He was lured to North Melbourne as an assistant to Brad Scott.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/mark-richardson/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:52 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/mark-richardson/ Recruited from Macleod, in Collingwood’s northern suburb heartland, Richardson’s football lineage stretched back to grandfather Arnold who played over 60 games with South Fremantle and represented WA and included his uncle, Max, who, like Wayne, was one of Collingwood’s best players in the 1970s. Mark Richardson was always destined to play with the Magpies and started out with the under-16 development squad before training with the senior side while still a teenager in the lead up to the 1990 Grand Final. In 1991, his first senior season, Richardson booted seven goals in a game against Sydney at Victoria Park, followed by another six against Adelaide a week later, immediately stirring hopes of a big career. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistency meant that he only played eight senior games over the next three seasons due to a succession of injuries. It took until 1995 for Richardson to develop into a regular fixture in the second half of 1995, playing mostly as a defender and occasionally taking a turn in the ruck, before cementing his place in 1996. Season 1998 was one of his finest, playing 19 of a possible 22 games, kicking eight goals in the second half of the season and giving his side some badly needed stability at centre half back before moving forward. He deservedly capped off the season with a top 10 placing (ninth overall) in the Copeland Trophy. By 1999, he was one of the club’s most mature and reliable players, and he was still capable of having the odd day out, such as when he had 26 disposals, took seven marks and won 18 hitouts against Richmond in a surprise win in round 19, earning his first Brownlow votes in the process. Under Mick Malthouse, Richardson was considered a steady older head in a side that was undergoing a swift regeneration and he remained an integral figure in 2000 and 2001. He opened 2002 with three goals in the loss to Richmond on Easter Thursday but injuries saw him drop out of the side after round three. Now aged 29, he bobbed in and out of the side in the second half of the season and was considered stiff to be omitted after kicking two goals from 13 disposals in Collingwood’s loss to the Western Bulldogs in round 22. It meant he missed the team’s first final since 1994, and denied Richardson the chance to play in September after 141 home and away games. Richardson was originally named as an emergency for the Grand Final and loomed as a potential replacement for the suspended Jason Cloke, but an injured thigh during the final training session put paid to any last minute hopes of a well-deserved selection on the biggest day of the year. Nobly, Richardson stood aside as an emergency after injuring his thigh, his place taken by Ben Kinnear, in a similar vein to Simon Prestigiacomo and Dayne Beams in Grand Finals that followed later in the Malthouse era. “I was a bit of a long shot but Mick Malthouse was pumping me up as a bit of an option,” Richardson said a decade later. “I hurt my leg at training during the week so I would never have known if it would be or Jarrod Molloy who played in the Grand Final. I’ll never know to this day if I’d have played or not but I would have doubted it.” Richardson remained on the list in 2003 but was unable to break into the senior side despite several strong performances for the club’s VFL affiliate Williamstown. He fractured his elbow during the pre-season but hit his straps in the VFL and loomed as a potential mid-season inclusion after kicking five goals against Coburg, but suspension for misconduct put paid to his hopes of a return. Fittingly, Richardson played a key role in Williamstown’s 2003 premiership. The Seagulls beat Box Hill by 29 points at Princes Park, with Richardson, Glenn Freeborn, Rupert Betheras and Jarrod Molloy signing off on their time at Collingwood with a state league premiership. Among Richardson’s junior teammates were future premiership Magpies Nick Maxwell and Dane Swan. “Even though it was VFL footy, it was still a highlight,” Richardson later reflected. “I played terribly. I was touch and go whether I was going to play. Mick Malthouse wanted me to play because I had played all my career without a final. “Even though it was a VFL final I got injections in my feet and ankles to play. I couldn’t really walk unless I was injected. “It was a bit of a gesture from Mick and Brad Gotch (Collingwood assistant and Williamstown senior coach). I’ve still got a lot of people from that Willy team that I can catch up with. Even though you’re not best of mates, you’ve still had that success together.”]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/tony-francis/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:50 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/tony-francis/ He gave Collingwood much needed bite around the packs and his great breakaway pace made him a menace to the opposition. In 1991 he was Collingwood’s best and fairest and was chosen in the All-Australian team. A classy footballer and a regular selection in the SA State of Origin side, Achilles problems affected him in 1992, but his willingness to tear into packs meant he was always dangerous. His fearless style of boring in for the ball led to injuries in later years and his pace was dulled. Thigh and knee injuries restricted him in 1995 then he regained some of his old form in 1996 when he ran third in the club’s best and fairest. But a pre-season groin injury destroyed his 1997 campaign and after a similarly limited campaign in 1998 he was released by Collingwood. He had a solid season under Tim Watson at St Kilda in 1999, kicking the winning goal against the Western Bulldogs at Waverley Park in round four, but then retired and returned to South Australia.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/damian-monkhorst/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:45 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/damian-monkhorst/ He was never a prolific mark, but compensated with great strength in the packs. Over the years he resisted all attempts by Collingwood to make him move from Woori Yallock to somewhere nearer Victoria Park. By his own admission he was something of a lout as a young man, but developed into one of the Collingwood team leaders. He said that in 1990 he had been lucky to be picked for the Grand Final after playing second fiddle to James Manson during the finals. In 1996 he was plagued by foot, back and hamstring injuries. He had a hard competitive edge that was reflected in the rough facial visage with the missing teeth. In 1995 he was involved in a controversial incident during Collingwood’s clash with Essendon when he was accused of racial abuse against Essendon’s Michael Long. The case led to the introduction of the AFL’s racial vilification laws. He had a saga of run-ins with Essendon. In 1990 he kicked the Grand Final goal that sealed the flag for Collingwood and in 1994 he ran through the Essendon huddle before the game and precipitated a wild melee and prompted the AFL’s introduction of the melee rule. Injuries restricted him from 1994 to 1995, but before that he had seldom been on the sidelines apart from the odd suspension. Foot injuries and other problems saw him put on weight in 1997 and he struggled badly, but he started 1998 brilliantly before injuries and form deterioration hit hard. After notching his 200th game in a rare victory out at Waverley Park in 1999, he crossed to Tim Watson’s St Kilda for a year and although he tried hard, he was unable to make a significant impact. He twice represented Victoria in state of origin games and later served as a highly respected ruck coach with Hawthorn. In March 2014, Monkhorst was inducted into the Collingwood Hall of Fame.]]>