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/paul-seedsman/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:03:06 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/paul-seedsman/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/paul-medhurst/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:50 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/paul-medhurst/ Recruited from Claremont, Medhurst’s career as a Fremantle Docker got underway with a three-goal haul against West Coast in the first round of 2002. Aged 20, he kicked 36 goals for the season including four against Collingwood in round 12. By the time he had followed it up with 50 in Fremantle’s run to September the following year, Medhurst appeared on the verge of superstardom in the west. But form issues took their toll, despite a bag of nine against Brisbane mid-way through 2004, and when he could average only a goal per game across 12 outings in 2006, he found himself on the move to Victoria. Medhurst was known as the ‘steak knives’ in the trade that saw Chris Tarrant become a Docker and Collingwood land the eighth selection in the 2006 National Draft (Ben Reid). But by the time he hit his straps, Pies fans knew they had got more than they had bargained for. Medhurst began 2007 slowly, having his tonsils removed during the pre-season, breaking a bone in his foot during a practice match and straining ankle ligaments early in the year. Despite all this, he played in the first three rounds of the season, kicking four against Richmond under lights. His season only really gained momentum late in the piece when he recorded two three goals in the space of seven days against Richmond and Melbourne on the eve of the finals. Medhurst showed his true colours in September, kicking two important goals in the win over the Eagles in extra-time before taking a leading role in the epic Preliminary Final cliffhanger against Geelong, kicking three goals including the one that brought the Pies to within a kick with a minute to play. He enjoyed a career-best season in 2008, kicking 50 goals, landing a place in the All-Australian team and receiving the R.T. Rush Trophy as runner-up in Collingwood’s best and fairest. After a slow start to the year, Medhurst clicked into gear during a horror loss to North Melbourne in round five, kicking five majors before backing it up with six against Essendon on ANZAC Day to win the ANZAC Day Medal as best afield in a 73-point win. Two more bags of five followed, against West Coast and Adelaide (when he kicked 5.5 in round 15), and he ended the season with at least one goal in all bar three of his 24 games. Although his form tapered off slightly at the tail end of the season, Medhurst was an important contributor in the surprise win over the Crows in the Elimination Final. He started 2009 in solid touch, peaking with four goals and 13 disposals against the Lions in round four, a night memorable due to the fact that he kicked his last goal concussed and did not know at the time which way his team was kicking. Injuries began to take their toll as the year wore on and meant he could not get the continuity in his football that made him so dangerous twelve months prior. Medhurst kicked just five goals in his last nine games and only one in September, but started 2010 on the right foot with four goals against the Western Bulldogs in round one. Unfortunately, injuries again took their toll and his best form deserted him as a result. He had one final spike, kicking three goals in consecutive weeks against the Blue and the Kangaroos in rounds six and seven but would play just three more games for the year as foot injuries robbed him of his momentum. He was brought back for one time against Essendon in round 20 but appeared rusty. After the game, coach Mick Malthouse admitted he had kept Medhurst in the VFL for too long. “I thought he (Medhurst) played like a VFL player coming up to play AFL football,” Malthouse said after the 98-point win. “I’ve said it all year – he typifies the level of skill which is not necessarily greater than VFL, but the level of intensity is massive. “And if you’re out of it too long, and that’s my fault, he has probably been out of it for too long. He’ll need time to reacquaint himself with that sort of intensity. “Paul understands that, the longer you’re down there, it gets harder.” Sadly, that Friday night against Essendon was the last the AFL saw of Medhurst. He played out the remainder of the season in the VFL, and according to coach Gavin Brown was his side’s best player in the Elimination Final loss to the Northern Bullants at North Port Oval. “Paul was our best player,” Brown told collingwoodfc.com.au. “He had an interrupted start to the game as he was held as a carry-over player (for the seniors’ match against Hawthorn). He drove from the MCG to North Port and arrived at the ground 10 minutes into the first term.” Medhurst announced his retirement three days after the team’s win over St Kilda in the Grand Final Replay, and soon returned to the WAFL where he continued to dazzle the local supporters. “He has outstanding abilities and possesses a wonderful mark and a beautiful kick for goal,” Malthouse wrote in an online tribute to Medhurst. “It would be fair to say through his career he had highs and lows, not about his abilities, but about his mindset and focus. “At 28, he has several years left in footy but he has also got a calling outside of football where he wants to spend his life doing other things. “He got on very well with people. I am delighted we were able to get him over here and play for Collingwood. “I am not surprised and very happy for him that he made a decision and left something in the tank and people will remember how good he is.”]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/scott-pendlebury/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:49 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/scott-pendlebury/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/heath-shaw/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:48 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/heath-shaw/ Although he was mooted as a potential debutant early in 2004, Shaw made his AFL debut late in 2005 and had an impressive start as he demonstrated his ball-winning skills in defence. To start 2006 he was a late call up against Hawthorn in round 2 after having won 35 touches for Williamstown the previous day. After that, he played in all the remaining games and rapidly became a major component of the team as a running, penetrating half-back who could launch constant attacks, as illustrated when he won the ANZAC Day Medal in 2007. His influence was so strong that by the end of the season, opposing teams were allocating negating forwards to the job of limiting him. Always busy on the field, he had been diagnosed with ADD as a kid, and his energetic style endeared him to the hearts of the Collingwood faithful. He was touted as a future leader after he ran fourth in the 2007 best and fairest and continued the momentum into early 2008 but his form wasn’t quite as consistent. His season ended dramatically when the club suspended him after round 18 when he and teammate Alan Didak found themselves in off-field strife. He admitted later that it shook his feeling of being invulnerable. He responded in the best way possible by running third in the 2009 best and fairest and at the start of 2010 he joined the leadership group. A fine year ended with a premiership for the Magpies and he provided a highlight of the Grand Final Replay when he desperately lunged to smother a Nick Riewoldt kick from the square. In late 2011 he was suspended for eight games (with a further six suspended) in a football betting scandal, but he bounced back to continue as one of the foremost running half backs in the competition. Unfortunately, a number of undisciplined acts in 2013 left him on the outer and he was placed on the trade market, being traded to Greater Western Sydney in exchange for Taylor Adams.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/dane-swan/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:40 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/dane-swan/ In the years that followed, Swan made incredible improvement to the point where he became the 2011 Brownlow Medalist, and earned the label of ‘untaggable’ from many commentators. A strongly built midfielder who is dangerous if released to half forward, Swan’s unique ability to repeatedly out-sprint his opponents, allowing him to power from contest to contest, made him Collingwood’s most consistent player of the Malthouse-Buckley era. Criticised earn on by some for his occasionally errant kicking, Swan’s disposal was soon considered to be as good as any other. His barrel chest meant he could hunt down the ball at the stoppages and explode away from them courtesy of his deceptive pace. Far from a front runner, Swan averaged 84.4 tackles between 2007 and 2011. He also had ability to make himself a threat in attack, be it around stoppages, outrunning his opponent when the side’s in possession and when isolated one-out where his underrated ability overhead made him the complete package. After a disappointing and injury-plagued 2014, he returned to stellar form in 2015, running second in the Copeland Trophy. He began the 2016 campaign well, starring during the NAB Challenge, only for a rare foot injury suffered minutes into the season opener against Sydney to end both his season and his career.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/mark-mcgough/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:37 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/mark-mcgough/ He was only 17 and a student at Northcote High School at the time. Given his age, he was still a few months off having his driver’s licence, and had to hitch a lift to the Anzac Day clash with his teammate Anthony Rocca. Yet by the end of the game, Collingwood had not only emerged victorious against Essendon on a wet and wild Anzac Day, but McGough stood head and shoulders above the pack. He had 24 disposals, revelled in the conditions, and was adjudged the Anzac Medallist in front of 84,894 fans. Five days earlier, on debut, McGough had received two Brownlow votes, for his two-goal 22-disposal effort against Hawthorn. He got the full three votes on Anzac Day, making him one of those rare footballers to poll Brownlow Medal votes in each of his first two matches. Few people saw that start to his career coming, even those who had recruited him the previous November, when drafted with Collingwood’s third pick – and 43rd overall – in the 2001 national draft. They knew he wasn’t a new-age athlete-turned-footballer. The kid from Mulwala – or more specifically Bundalong, the tiny town that sits at the junction of the Ovens and Murray Rivers – was a pure in-and-under player. The man who plucked him from the Murray Bushrangers – largely off the back of stopping job he did in the TAC Cup on another kid called Luke Hodge – was Noel Judkins, and he recalled later: “We were desperately looking for someone who was good at stoppages, good with his hands, and pretty hard at the ball.” McGough had always dreamt of playing the game at the highest level. His father explained: “It’s been his ambition to play AFL footy since the age of two. He made the kindergarten teacher go and buy him a footy because he just had to have a footy at kinder.” His maturity and strong body helped with his introduction to AFL football, even if his youth meant he had to balance his game around his studies, doing three Year 12 subjects at Northcote High School. He had to do early morning skills sessions at a local park with the club’s development manager of the time, Adrian Fletcher, so he could attend classes. McGough settled in well at Collingwood, and Victoria Park. His form in the reserves was good early in the 2002 season and he won elevation for his first game in Round 4 against Hawthorn – at 17 years and 302 days old. After his first-up performance, as second best on ground to his captain Nathan Buckley, there was never any doubt about him playing on Anzac Day – in the eighth version of the Collingwood-Essendon April 25 clash. He started on the bench and spent most of the first quarter on the pine. Essendon’s Jason Johnson started well, and coach Mick Malthouse needed someone to come on and curb his impact. McGough got the job, and never looked back. Teammate Scott Burns would say of McGough: “He just knows where to get it (the ball). He’s one of those blokes that gets in the right spot. He hits it hard and is relatively clean with his hands.” The wet conditions suited the teenager, and also the young Collingwood team that included two nineteen year-olds in Alan Didak (seventh game) and Ryan Lonie (25th game), as well as three 20-year-olds in Jason Cloke (fourth game), Leon Davis (38th game) and Josh Fraser (47th game). The Magpies kept the previous year’s Grand Finalists Essendon to only four goals, while kicking nine themselves to win the match by 33 points. As the rain beat down, McGough was interviewed after the match by Channel Nine’s Anthony Mithen, saying: “It was just magnificent to get the win, in front of all these people. It has been a dream ever since I was a kid to play league football and to play for the Collingwood Football Club. It is fantastic.” It was no surprise when Craig Willis soon after announced McGough had won the Anzac Medal. He got a pat on the back from president Eddie McGuire and coach Mick Malthouse as well as a firm handshake from RSL president Bruce Ruxton when he received his medal. Drenched but delighted, he caught up with his family in the rooms after the game as well as some friends who had driven down from his home town. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet that I am even playing league football,” McGough said. “I hoped to set my sights on playing a few senior games this year. I’m still coming to terms with it myself, to be playing out there on ANZAC Day for Collingwood is a dream come true.” He said the reality would set in the following day when he had to go back to school, which he duly did after a recovery session. Asked about the teenager’s performance, Buckley said: “(He’s) a champion.” Then he checked himself: “Oh, I can’t use that lightly. He’s a champion bloke, and after two games he looks like he could be a champion player.” Sadly, it didn’t quite pan out that way for McGough. He played 17 games in his debut season, but was out of the team by the time finals came around. He could muster only eight games the following year, laughing years later that his second Anzac Day game wasn’t as memorable as the first. “Paul Barnard had a shot for goal from 30m out and I made the assumption he would make the distance and kick it,” he recalled. “He didn’t and it left Paul Licuria one out with three Essendon players, James Hird kicking the goal while I was walking back to the middle. Mick (Malthouse) reacted by throwing a white board at me.” His third and final Anzac Day clash came in 2004, and he had 29 disposals and kicked two goals, receiving two Brownlow Medal votes in a losing team. It was, however, McGough’s last season with the Magpies with his lack of leg speed counting against him. He was delisted at the end of 2004, and played two seasons with St Kilda before his AFL career was over at 22. Still, those who were there that Anzac Day in 2002, or who watched the game from their living rooms, will never forget what the kid in the No.27 jumper was able to do in only his second match.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/ben-l-johnson/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:28 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/ben-l-johnson/ In 2002 he improved dramatically and his pressure on opposing small forwards made him a permanent part of the defence. He still made the odd mistake, but his determination more than compensated for it. He progressed even further in 2003 when he became more of an attacking force. He played in the 2002 and 2003 Grand Finals and in 2004 had his best year to date as primarily a defender whose running talents and ball-collecting skills were great assets to the side. It resulted in him running second in the best and fairest. He started well the following year, but a thigh injury threw his season off the rails and he finished up in the reserves side. He returned to form in 2006 and the only blemish on a good season was an over-inflated press coverage of a late-night drinking incident. He was in good touch in 2007 until copping a six week suspension for a high hit on Melbourne’s Daniel Bell, and then had an uninspiring 2008 campaign. Johnson had changed his lifestyle considerably – eating better and drinking less alcohol – when his career was on the line and he had been put forward as a possible trade. He was rewarded with a premiership medal in 2010. He was an excellent performer in the 2011 Grand Final loss, but missed much of 2012 due to a shoulder reconstruction. He began 2013 in the senior side but injured a calf in the third round and retired late in the season, before going on to work in administration at the club.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/chris-tarrant/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:18 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/chris-tarrant/ Late in the year he turned in a couple of impressive displays, notably in the final round against Sydney. Tarrant was aware that he was probably given more senior games than he deserved in 1998, but the experience stood him in good stead. After suffering off-season pelvic problems he did not stake a claim for a regular spot in early 1999. Midway through the year, a match-winning four goal effort from centre half-forward against St Kilda caught the eye, as did screamers against Port Adelaide and North Melbourne. Although Tarrant returned home to Mildura before the start of the 2000 season, there was no way known Collingwood was going to allow him to abandon his AFL career as they always saw him as one of the most exciting youngsters on its list. Despite his delayed start to the season, Tarrant played several outstanding games for the Magpies and pulled down many spectacular marks. He had hamstring problems late in the year, but still managed 19 senior games for 28 goals. Tarrant benefited by the arrival of Jarrod Molloy in the forward line in 2001 and he had a strong season at full-forward, topping the club’s goalkicking with 53. Along the way he took a memorable pack mark against Melbourne at the MCG on the Queen’s Birthday which ranked amongst the truly great grabs. A hip injury dogged him in 2002 and his inconsistency was a frustration, but he had a mighty 2003. In some games his pace and marking ability made him virtually unstoppable such as the clash with St Kilda when he took 17 marks and kicked six goals. Some opponents tried to stand in front of him to limit his leads, but it did not always work. He was strongly influenced by Magpie assistant coach Terry Daniher who noted that Tarrant needed his space “but also liked reassurance and feedback”. Daniher likened him to Paul Van Der Haar for having a relaxed attitude off the field but a competitive and proud nature on the other side of the white line. He showed his maturity in round seven against Adelaide when he kicked the winning goal after the siren. He seemed more comfortable with public attention but did admit: “I love playing footy, but I don’t like to get recognised too much walking down the street.” Tarrant played in Collingwood’s Grand Final sides in 2002 and 2003 and was selected as an All-Australian in 2003 as well as running second in the best and fairest. He injured a hamstring early in 2004 but shouldered the burden in attack with others injured or lacking form. As ever, he was prepared to cover a lot of ground. Tarrant was patchy for the next two years and was unreliable in attack. In 2006 he also got into hot water for some off-field indiscretions. At the end of the year he was traded to Fremantle in a deal that netted Collingwood Paul Medhurst and Ben Reid (the latter via the National Draft). He was average in 2007 and slow to get going in 2008 but by mid June he started to fire. At Collingwood he had been shielded from the media, refusing to do interviews, but he opened up eventually at Fremantle and commented in mid-2008 that football had never been the top priority in his life. He reflected that he had probably not kicked on since his boom year in 2003 but laughed off suggestions by former captain Nathan Buckley that he could have been as big a star as Lance Franklin. In 2009 he was switched to defence and found a new lease of life, running fourth in the best and fairest and being unlucky not to win All-Australian selection. He had Achilles then knee problems at the end of 2010, but it was common knowledge that he and his wife wanted to return to Victoria, and he achieved a trade back to his old club. Tarrant capped off his career with two fine seasons in the Black and White jumper, trading in his old No. 20 for No. 2. He finished in the top 10 in the Copeland Trophy in 2011 and was one of Collingwood’s best in the Grand Final defeat when he had Geelong’s James Podsiadly covered before his former Magpie teammate went down with a dislocated shoulder. Injuries hampered his final season, but he still managed to feature in the 2012 finals series when he was again one of his side’s most reliable players.]]> 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/scott-russell/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:51 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/scott-russell/ Russell, who seemed to save his best for big games, ran third in the best and fairest in each of his first three seasons and again in 1996. A smooth runner with a slightly hunched kicking style who constantly put himself in a position to get the ball, Russell had a mainly injury-free run apart from a bout of glandular fever in 1994. A dependable kick around the field and a hard worker in the packs his consistency was a pillar of strength during a challenging time at Collingwood in which it figured in just two finals in the 11 years that followed the 1990 triumph. He represented South Australia eight times in state of origin football and quit Victoria Park when the 1998 season came to a close. He spent two years with Sydney, playing 16 games in 1999 but none in 2000 as injuries took their toll. In 2011, Russell was retrospectively awarded the 1996 ANZAC Day Medal as best afield against Essendon with 26 disposals and a goal.]]>