Saverio Rocca will be remembered as one of the most prodigious kicks in the game, which is hardly surprising given what transpired in a different sport after his retirement from AFL football. But what should never be forgotten, and what has been to a certain extent, is just how prolific Rocca was as a goalkicker at his peak, and how underrated his career has been judged in the years since.

"He has never really got the credit he deserved," his brother Anthony said. "I don't think that has ever worried him, but if you look at his record, he should get more credit for what he achieved."

Teammates agreed. When the scent of blood got into his nostrils in front of goal, there seemed no stopping him. Those who played on him during his most productive years just held on, and hoped for the best, with Carlton's full-back of the century Stephen Silvagni telling the Herald Sun: "'When he was confident and going, he was so big he was a Lockett-type on the lead."

At one stage of his career, when he kicked his biggest tally of 11 goals against Fremantle at Victoria Park in 1998, his coach Tony Shaw even raised the prospect that Rocca might one day kick 1000 career goals.

Circumstances and painful knee issues meant that never happened. But even though he was delisted by Collingwood just two years after that Dockers' demolition - prematurely many would say - his tally of 514 goals still ranks fifth in the Magpies' all-time record. Just as impressive, adding in his 234 goals with North Melbourne, he sits 16th on the all-time list of VFL-AFL goalkickers with 748.

Five times he kicked 10 goals or more in a match; he won seven consecutive Collingwood goalkicking awards from 1993-99 (and three more at North); he kicked nine goals in the inaugural Anzac Day match in 1995; and in the same year he kicked a career-high 93 goals in the season and won the Copeland Trophy - at 21.

His first seven seasons yielded 454 goals before injury and inconsistency slowed his ratio. Through the troughs, Rocca was one of the most heavily scrutinised players in the game. He was cheered when he was kicking goals, but criticised when he was not quite as consistent, particularly in his later Collingwood years.

One of the game's greatest forwards Jason Dunstall said he was surprised by the lack of acknowledgement Rocca received: "His average (2.91 goals a game) is nothing to be sneezed at. I think he's been vastly underrated for a long period of time. It's hard to say why, but he's never appeared to be fashionable, which I find amusing."

Rocca initially set his sights set on the Olympics as the Australian discuss champion at under-19 level. But that changed when a schoolmate, Fabian Carelli, convinced Collingwood to have a look at the big lump of a lad from Reservoir Lakeside.

“I was one of the last of the residential players,” Rocca said. “I started to play locally because a buddy of mine (Carelli) asked me to play at Reservoir Lakeside. He was down at the Collingwood under 19s and mentioned to Ian Flack (recruiting manager) that he should come down and have a look at me. I loved my time at Collinwood. In a way, I grew up there. And I loved playing at Victoria Park.”

Soon he was playing in the under-19s and reserves, and he was best afield for Lakeside Secondary College in a Herald Sun Shield game in an MCG curtain-raiser. He looked like a man playing against kids in that game, and even though he stopped growing at 16, he seemed almost as imposing when he made it into the AFL.

He kicked four goals on debut for Collingwood in 1992. But he stamped himself as a future star with 73 goals in 1993, with two bags of 10 goals in a three-week period against Richmond and Footscray, and also kicked six goals on Silvagni.

Aided by Brereton’s protection and advice in 1995, Rocca blossomed further, kicking goals in all but one game, and scoring 10 against Adelaide. His Anzac Day was near perfection, and given he only played one final in his time at Collingwood (1994), he came to see those big occasions as his compensation.

"They were the games that replaced finals for me,” he said of Anzac Day matches. “They meant a lot to me." He kicked nine in the drawn game, a result that came about when Nathan Buckley chose a short pass to him rather than having a shot himself.

"Looking back, he probably should have had the shot," Rocca said. "Mind you, I would have been happy if I had caught it."

While he never consistently recaptured that 1995 form, Rocca was still able to reel off big hauls across the next three seasons of 66 (1996), 76 (1997) and 68 (1999) - all the more meritorious given there were no finals.

The club was able to reunite the Rocca brothers in 1997, which he remains grateful for. "I really appreciate the lengths the club went to making this happen," he said. "I cherished the time I was able to play with Anthony."

Sadly, it lasted only four seasons and 54 games. They remain the only siblings in the VFL/AFL to each kick 400 goals.

Patella tendinitis limited Rocca's impact, but he was shattered when told his career in black and white was over at the end of 2000. "I felt I could have had one more year to prove myself," he said. "I offered to take a pay cut to stay, but they didn't see it that way."

That hurt lasted a long time, especially given Rocca was a year short of life membership. "I disliked the way it was handled, but the way I look at it now is that I really appreciate the time I had at North Melbourne.”

Rocca was picked up by the Kangaroos where he spent seven more seasons, playing 101 games and kicking 234 goals. He then took that famous right boot of his, the biggest weapon in his kitbag, and parlayed it into a successful career in the NFL in America, becoming a successful punter with both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins.

In the end, Sav's AFL career totalled 257 games and 748 goals. Whisper it quietly, but those are elite numbers. There's also two Anzac Day Medals, a Copeland Trophy and no fewer than 10 club leading goalkicker titles. He really does deserve to be feted more heavily than he has been.