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/jordan-de-goey/ Sun, 11 Sep 2016 06:25:58 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?post_type=cf_player&p=10700 With just one pre-season and three NAB Challenge games under his belt, De Goey was thrown into the deep end as he was named to debut in Collingwood’s clash with Brisbane in round of season 2015. While pulling on the black and white stripes would have been a thrill, a green vest quickly covered the jumper De Goey was wearing for the first time. Playing as the substitute, he entered the game midway through the third quarter and collected five disposals as Collingwood claimed a 12-point victory. Perhaps hard done by, the 19-year-old was omitted from the AFL side after his debut and began to display a significant influence in the VFL Magpies’ midfield. He was named among the best players in all four of his VFL games, including back-to-back best on ground performances against North Ballarat and Essendon. De Goey returned to the AFL side for Collingwood’s round seven clash with Richmond and this is where he stayed. He played 11 straight games, was rested in round 19, and returned with a career-best performance in Sydney the following week. The individual success wouldn’t end here. With Scott Pendlebury playing off half-back in the Magpies’ Friday night game against Geelong, De Goey was given his first real opportunity to play as a permanent midfielder. The former Oakleigh Charger responded in the best way possible. His 25-disposal, seven-tackle and seven-clearance game was worthy of round 22’s National Rising Star nomination. The accolades didn’t stop there for De Goey. At Collingwood’s annual Copeland Trophy event he was awarded the Harry Collier Trophy for the club’s best first year player.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/jack-anthony/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:56 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/jack-anthony/ Recruited via Diamond Creek and the Northern Under-18s, a serious neck injury put him out for the 2007 season and delayed his debut when he was being groomed for defence. It occurred during the 2007 pre-season when he tackled Marty Clarke at Gosch’s Paddock, hitting Clarke’s shoulder in an odd position. He developed a blood clot in the spinal cord and was ordered to take the year off. He played an early match against Richmond in 2008, but didn’t get another run until the second half of the year when he became a regular in attack. Incredibly, for a man who had spent his career in defence, Anthony kicked 25 goals in his first 12 games and kicked at least one goal in his first 25. He slotted three in the Elimination Final win over Adelaide and four while sporting a newly shaven head against North Melbourne in round 16. In 2009 he booted 50 goals to top Collingwood’s goalkicking despite tailing off in the closing weeks. Anthony kicked four goals on five occasions, and remained accurate throughout, kicking 50.28 for the year. His finals series was modest, but his match winning goal against Adelaide will live on in Collingwood history. Although he began 2010 in the seniors, he quietly slipped down the pecking order and managed just seven games, the last three as a defender. Anthony had been squeezed out of the mix by the rise of contemporaries Chris Dawes in attack and Ben Reid in defence, while Leigh Brown’s career revival meant the key position posts were set in stone. He bobbed up one final time in round 21 but lost his place on the eve of the finals and opted to move on when it became clear Collingwood had earmarked Chris Tarrant as its first choice to replace the retiring Simon Prestigiacomo. After crossing to Fremantle, he was unable to command a regular spot, playing mostly as a defender, and left the club at the end of 2012. He returned to VFL level in 2014 when he turned out for the Northern Blues.]]> 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/travis-cloke/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:45 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/travis-cloke/ And what a package that was. Across his 12 seasons in the black and white, his tally of goals and capacity to drag down important contested marks stamped him as one of the most important and influential players of his era. Ignore the wayward kicking for a moment and look at the statistics: he kicked more goals than all but six players in Magpie history – Gordon Coventry, Peter McKenna, Dick Lee, Peter Daicos, Saverio Rocca and Alby Pannam. But even more importantly, it’s worth remembering that Travis Cloke was not your classic stay-at-home full-forward. He often played as more a centre half-forward or even high half-forward: he had a huge engine and would often present as a leading target for marks on the wing, or even deeper, then wheel on to that famous left-foot for a booming kick into the forward line. So goals alone are not how his legacy should be measured. So it’s the contested marking for which he will be most remembered. Immensely strong with a good leap and remarkably ‘sticky’ hands, Cloke at his best was almost unstoppable. Across three seasons – 2010 to 2012 – he recorded three of the top 12 highest contested mark counts in a season ever recorded. He could wrestle an opponent out of contention in one-on-one contests, or fly into a pack against three defenders and almost always emerge with ball in hand. Despite his strength he was very much a gentle giant (though you wouldn’t want to have been on the end of one of his bone-crunching tackles), but even then he was rarely looked after by the umpires. Indeed, at times they seemed to penalise him for being so much stronger, and so much better, than most of his opponents. But Cloke rarely complained or remonstrated: he just shrugged and prepared for the next contest. Football had always been in Travis’s DNA, with his father, David, having a celebrated career with Richmond and Collingwood. David’s three sons – Jason, Cameron and Travis – were born within a five-year window, but there was always a belief the youngest might be the best. Each son had the luxury of choosing between Richmond and Collingwood, but most believed the trio was a package deal. Jason, taken by the Magpies in 2000, said as much after he was joined by Cameron in 2002: “There’s still another one to come. Hopefully we can all play at the same club.” Richmond launched a late bid to convince Travis that he would be better off at another club. But Collingwood was never going to let this young talent from the Eastern Ranges slip through the net. He debuted for Collingwood on Anzac Day in 2005, kicking a goal and having 15 touches. All three brothers played in the same match the following week against St Kilda, a one-off moment that Travis would later declare to be one of his most cherished in football. It also provided one memorable passage of play when Jason (No.34) took control of the ball, gave it off to Cameron (No.33) further down the ground, and he send it down to Travis (No.32) deep in attack. At the end of 2006, the Magpies made the difficult decision to move both Jason (76 games) and Cameron (21 games) on. As disappointed as Travis was, it did not affect his football. Indeed he had an outstanding 2007 season, culminating in a Copeland Trophy win – one of only six who won it at 20 or younger. From that season on, Cloke’s was one of the first names on the Collingwood team sheet each week. A contract standoff between his management and the club caused tensions in 2012, which impacted on the forward’s form. Soon after the 2012 preliminary final loss to Sydney, Cloke signed a lucrative five-year deal to stay at Collingwood, saying that he wanted to remain loyal to the club. He followed it up with a strong season in 2013, finishing third again in the Copeland, winning a second All-Australian berth, and kicked 68.51, narrowly missing out on a Coleman Medal for the second time in three seasons. Like his father, he had countless kicking coaches – from Saverio Rocca to Ben Dixon – and dealt with psychologists and body movement experts, seeking conventional and not-so-conventional solutions. For a time, he even took to using an iPod and headphones in his training sessions to replicate the noise of the crowd. But as the game changed in shape, and the influence of power forwards began to diminish, Cloke’s impact on games began to drop off through 2014 (39 goals) and 2015 (34 goals). He had one last glorious hurrah in 2016, four goals against Greater Western Sydney, but at the end of the year sought a move to the Western Bulldogs. He had limited on-field impact at the Dogs, but was widely lauded for publicly talking about his decision to take time out that year to deal with depression. In the end, Travis Cloke will go down as one of the best Collingwood key forwards of the post-war era. If he’d been just a little more accurate in front of goal, his standing would be even higher. But if he’d been more clinical in front of goal, then some other part of the package might have been diminished. So rather than focus on the flaws we can instead celebrate the whole: the extraordinary contribution and wonderful career of one of footy’s true nice guys.  ]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/alan-didak/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:35 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/alan-didak/ Peter Daicos, which only served to show just how good the ‘Macedonian Marvel’ actually was. For Didak, the kid with Croatian heritage was some player. The fact that there were similarities between the two Magpies of different generations was good enough, even if few could have ever hoped to reach the lofty status that Daicos has in the Collingwood pantheon. Off the field, Didak’s sense of confidence, some might say cockiness, sometimes landed him in trouble. But through it all, his breathtaking moments in black and white always seemed to overshadow the negatives. As The Age’s Greg Baum so perfectly put it: “What Alan Didak had, he flaunted. A shimmy here, a waggle of his forefinger there, a cocky, mouthguardy grin; Didak didn’t just kick goals, he made a production of them.” And those productions made him one of the most popular players of his generation, and the passion for you from the fans stretched from the start to the finish of his 218-game career. That swagger was there almost from the start. Didak was brought up in Whyalla, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, and he cut his teeth with Port Adelaide in the SANFL, making his senior debut at 17. In that same season he captained an under-18s Australian side in a compromise rules series against Ireland. Collingwood liked what it saw in the talented forward/midfielder and had no hesitation taking him with pick 3 in the 2000 national draft. Fittingly, Didak scored a goal with his first kick in AFL football, in the Round 7 match against North Melbourne in 2001. That was the first of 274 goals kicked in black and white, and so many of them are on automatic recall for Collingwood fans lucky enough to have witnessed some of his finest moments. A young Didak celebrates kicking a goal with his first kick in AFL football. Where do you start? There was the sealer he kicked in the 2003 qualifying final against the Brisbane Lions, when he was on the wrong side for a left-footer, tucked up against the boundary line 50m out. With the crowd roaring, and a goal required to sink the Lions, his captain, Nathan Buckley, ran over to ask him: ‘Are you going to kick it, or are you going to pass it off.” Didak’s answer was simple. “I’m going to kick it”, he said. And he did. There was the scissor-kick goal he managed against Geelong in the 2007 preliminary final that almost defied logic, and another failed attempt against Melbourne that proved that audacity doesn’t always pay. There was the clutch goal he kicked in the dying seconds of the game against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in 2006, to win the match. Collectively, there were the highlights of the 2010 season, in which Didak won the club goalkicking award with 41 majors, producing some of the most special moments in that remarkable season for the club. Three goals came in the space of one minute (yes, one minute) against West Coast in Round 14. The first was a beautifully measured snap that he bounced through from the boundary line. Thirty seconds later, he soccered the ball off the ground from 25 metres, and from the restart of play, he took the ball from Jarryd Blair and slotted it through a third from 40 metres. Fans, and even Didak himself, barely had time to draw a breath. Didak celebrates a remarkable game against West Coast in round 14, 2010. Three weeks later came what would be his trademark shimmy. He goaled against Richmond after using his footwork and evasive skills to baulk two hapless Tigers before closing the deal, as he so often did. That moment prompted the great Malcolm Blight to say that Didak had been “born with a footy in his mind.” Then, in the Grand Final Replay against St Kilda, he produced the second most famous smother of that game, when he stopped Jason Blake in his tracks during the third quarter, and turned around a right-foot snap that effectively snuffed out the Saints’ hopes. It was vintage Didak, and all the more memorable because he was doing it under sufferance. He had badly damaged his pectoral muscle late in the season, but kept playing. Collingwood supporters loved him from the outset. By the time he had turned 21, he was a bona fide Collingwood cult hero, having a supporters’ group create a website in his honour, as well as strike the ‘Alan Didak Medal’, for their own best-and-fairest award. It wasn’t just his goalkicking nous that attracted support; for a time a rat’s tail haircut did the trick. But he was also a complete footballer who didn’t just rely on a highlights reel for his popularity. This was never better underlined than when he won the Copeland in 2006 – proving his footy credentials once and for all. He was brilliant that year and was always a menace in the forward 50. Even when his team tapered off he was still a potent force and it was no surprise when he won the best and fairest as well as being named as an All-Australian. At the end of the season it was found that he had badly damaged a knee which required major surgery, making his performances even more impressive. Along the way, Didak had a few moments where he tested the club ‘s patience, as well as that of the fans. In 2007 he became embroiled in controversy regarding the company that kept away from football, and then a year later he and Heath Shaw were suspended by the club for the remainder of the 2008 season after Shaw crashed his car and lied to protect Didak, by saying he wasn’t a passenger. Both worked hard to regain the respect of their teammates and their club. Statistically, Didak’s best season was in the 2010 premiership year. He had a career-best 590 disposals and kicked 41.21 – just two behinds fewer than his 2006 tally – and won a second All-Australian jumper that season. He played 20 games in 2011, but unfortunately his body was starting to fail him. His return in 2012 and 2013 – his last two years in black and white – meant he only played 16 games across those two seasons. When he returned to the senior team against West Coast in Round 22, 2013 – almost as much by persuasive powers of his teammates as anything else – he kicked his penultimate goal in black and white. And when he did, the entire Collingwood team left their stations, and rushed to him. It was a measure of what he meant to them. If the fans could have done the same, they would have. His 218th and last game came in the elimination final loss to Port Adelaide. And when he was delisted a few weeks later, it wasn’t the farewell that anyone wanted. He briefly flirted with the idea of trying to reprise his magic for another season at Greater Western Sydney, but the deal fell though. Collingwood fans were happy about that. For just as Daicos remained a one-club player after the club called an end to his career almost two decades earlier, Alan Didak’s association with Collingwood and the Magpie Army was so strong that it would have been a sin had he played anywhere else. Luckily, we – and he – were spared that imperfect end to a glorious career. – Glenn McFarlane        ]]> 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/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/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/brian-taylor/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:26 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/brian-taylor/ “It was every kid’s dream in Western Australia to play in the VFL,” he said. “In fact it wasn’t even a dream for me. It was too far beyond a dream to be involved in the competition over here (Victoria).” When Taylor came across in 1979 to join Richmond’s under-19s, he did so amid the sort of publicity usually reserved for established interstate stars rather than 16-year old kids who had only been playing footy for a couple of years. He struggled to settle in at first, eventually making his debut in 1980 (where he was towelled up by the great Bruce Doull). It wasn’t until 1982 that he became a regular senior player, kicking more than 70 goals from 15 games alongside star full-forward Michael Roach. But he injured himself in the last game of the year and could not take his place in the second semi-final team, then was passed over for selection in the Grand Final. Taylor was shattered. He struggled with injuries in 1983, then was again in and out of the Tiger line-up through 1984. The frustration was becoming too much. The Magpies had a gaping hole at full-forward and, already engaged in a recruiting war with Richmond, thought nothing of luring “Barge” to Victoria Park for season 1985 to join his ex-Tiger teammates David Cloke and Geoff Raines. He was so keen for regular game time that he actually accepted less money to join the Pies. The move worked wonders. BT kicked 80 goals in that first season, playing under Bob Rose, and Collingwood fans had another full-forward to idolise. Collingwood took to BT as if he had been black and white all his life. It was not just that he kicked goals; it was the way he kicked them, with big marks and more than a touch of ‘agro’, that endeared him to Magpie supporters. The burly Taylor stood at 191cm (6ft 2in) and weighed around 101kg (15st 121b) at his peak, making him a difficult man to shift. He was a master at using his ample frame to out-position his opponents, or to keep them from the ball. Like Gordon Coventry, Taylor was particularly adept at using his backside to thwart an opponent’s run at the ball, while taking the mark himself well in front of his body. And, again like Coventry, Taylor’s grip on the ball was vice-like. Whether in one-on-one duels or in packs, Taylor was a near certainty to bring down the ball if he got any sort of purchase on it at all. He could also both leap and lead, especially early in his career, but it was the strong mark under pressure that became the Taylor trademark. The other trait for which Brian Taylor became well known was his temperament. It was both a vice and a virtue. When fired up and playing well he loved to “stick it up” his opponent. Clenched fists, two fingered salutes, contemptuous pats on the back — BT would use them all to let the full back know he was getting beaten. The crowds loved it, BT seemed to thrive on it and it often lifted the team as well. But on other days, when things were not going so well, Taylor’s histrionics seemed only destructive. On his day Taylor was well-nigh unstoppable. He could take marks from any position, outbustle opponents and kick goals from any angle. In such moods he could decimate an opposition, as he did to St Kilda in a game at Victoria Park in 1989 when he kicked seven goals in the first half. There were plenty of those days in 1986, when Brian Taylor became only the fourth player in Collingwood’s history to kick 100 goals in a season. He only just made it, kicking his 100th in the last game of the season after tearing a groin muscle that should have forced him from the field. BT stayed on in the hope of picking up the necessary goal, and after kicking it (courtesy of a soft free kick), limped off almost immediately. He performed consistently in 1987 and 1988 (60 and 73 goals respectively), without quite reaching the heights of 1986. But in 1989 his hold on the position became tenuous, as Leigh Matthews’ preference for mobility and versatility in his players became increasingly obvious. Taylor had never been really quick (though he was much more agile in his early days than most people remember), but the wear and tear on his legs had slowed him down even further. Full-backs knew they could run off him, and tended to exploit that more frequently. Taylor managed only 11 games in 1989, but still kicked 49 goals. By 1990, however, his position had deteriorated further. He was given only limited opportunities, and it was clear he did not fit in with Matthews’ plans. He spent most of the year in the reserves, but even there could not avoid trouble, copping a five game suspension (two for striking and three for abusive language) out of one game. When he returned he forced his way back into the senior side and did enough to hold his spot for the qualifying final against the West Coast Eagles. That game turned out to be Brian Taylor’s last hurrah, but it could so easily have been different. He had four or five shots for goal early in the game and missed all of them, then was taken from the ground during the second quarter. He did not reappear until midway through the last quarter, when the game was slipping away from the Pies. He kicked two crucial goals, including the one that put the team in front. But those last quarter heroics weren’t enough to keep him in the side for the rest of the finals. His VFL career was over. That 1990 season was a difficult one for Taylor. He released a book, his diary of the season, after the Grand Final, and when the project became public knowledge during the year, he found it upset a number of his teammates. There was also the deterioration of his relationship with Matthews. Then, on the last training night before the grand final, Matthews sent Taylor and six or seven others from the training track after only 20 minutes to allow the final squad to train together. Taylor found the incident embarrassing and humiliating, believing that those players should have been allowed to stay longer with the main group, or not been out there at all. He tried to captain-coach with Prahran in the VFA but his knees were shot. Instead he went into the media, going on to become one of the most recognisable faces and voices in the game as a gun commentator with Channel 9, Channel 7, Triple M and 3AW. He probably achieved more fame as a commentator than he did as a footballer, but at Collingwood we still like to think of him as ‘one of ours’. He kicked 371 goals from his 97 games in the black and white, and left a lasting impression on all Magpie fans who watched him rule the goalsquares in the 1980s. – Michael Roberts]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/michael-richardson/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:01:15 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/michael-richardson/ His freakish goalkicking soon endeared him to Magpie fans and he topped Collingwood’s goalkicking with 49 goals in 1983. In 1986 he negotiated a new contract but two weeks later was told the club was in financial difficulties and all players would have to take a 20 per cent pay-cut. He felt the club had let him down and he was cleared to Essendon, without any great success. In a side accustomed to kicking long towards its tall forwards he was often ignored as an option and his form suffered. He moved to Brisbane in 1987 and gave the Bears many fine games as a ruck-rover, centreman or even in defence as a creative half-back, and he believed that three of his four seasons at Brisbane were his best in the VFL.]]>