Anthony Rocca Vs Travis Cloke??

[inxs88]

Interesting and similar career achievements:

TRAVIS CLOKE:

237 games
429 goals at 1.81/game
348 behinds at 1.47/game
47 Brownlow votes

Possessions:

10.70 kicks/game
2.95 handballs/game
6.80 marks/game
1.80 tackles/game


ANTHONY ROCCA:

242 games
415 goals at 1.72/games
286 behinds at 1.20/game
32 Brownlow votes

Possessions:

7.55 kicks/game
3.15 handballs/game
1.40 tackles/game
4.90 marks/game

PS:

don't have out on the full stats. Both have performed well in big games through their careers but keen to know your thoughts....

[Bucks2014]

Anthony was inconsistent IMO, but he had things that gave him a bit of X Factor.

He could take a hanger, kick from 70 and when he was on wow fantastic to watch.

Who knows maybe they are also similar in that they are/were confidence players.

Edited due to reply posting strangely and still is. Maybe it doesn't want me to.

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

Anthony was the better player in the bigger games IMO. If we had had him playing in the 2010 GF there would have been no replay the following week.

[Skids]

And from a few years back.....

http://www.magpies.net/nick/bb/viewtopic.php?p=1399356&highlight=rocca#1399356

[jackcass]

[Raw Hammer]

[jackcass]

Comes down to personal preferences really. Trav probably just slightly ahead in my view.

Really need both to start breeding (not together), sons, lots of them.

[jackcass]

[leonmagic]

really good thread, i feel like both of their careers have been incredibly similar. both heavily criticised by anyone and everyone outside of the club, so much so that sometimes supporters of the club get sucked into it.

at their peak they were (/are) both scary, scary players for any opposition. both played the game in between their ears, which isn't a great thing. you wouldn't want either of them kicking a clutch goal, but you almost felt so much safer when they were (/are) both out there.

honestly couldn't really split them. both great players in their own right, but seemingly so much wasted potential.

[leonmagic]

actually i'll say 'unfulfilled' potential, not wasted.

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

[Presti35]

Rocca for me.

[Skids]

[stui magpie]

two flawed individuals, both brilliant on their day.

Welcome to Collingwood.

[Pies4shaw]

Both wonderful players. Both, as it happens, divided Collingwood supporters. The criticism at the ground levelled at Ant by members every time he couldn't manage a 25 disposal, 30 hitouts (25 to advantage), 5 goal game was, quite frankly, sickening. In fact, he, Travis and Chris Tarrant have that in common.

If one had to choose between the 2, I suppose I'd choose Rocca - at his peak, he posed a ridiculous matchup problem for the opposition: he was quick for his size (eg, that diagonal run from the far wing to CHF against Port in the 2002 final), a brilliant field kick when he was up the ground, our best ruckman by some considerable margin (not that he had much opposition on that score), the best contested mark at our club and a huge threat kicking for goal from well outside the 50 metre arc. Because he was, in effect, 2 players in 1, he dominated the opposition's defensive planning. Unfortunately, his absence was so hard to cover that Collingwood was never going to be competitive without him in the 2003 GF. It's a pity that, for most of his career, he was an elite player in a team that had too few.

If I had to choose a player just as a KPF, though, it would have to be Cloke. Collingwood has not fielded a better CHF in my lifetime. Cloke is not my favourite Collingwood CHF - Carman was a magician (the most talented player I ever saw on a field) and Rocca was my favourite "current" player until Heater came on the scene - but history will show that he was the best Collingwood CHF of the lot for length of service, durability and consistent high-quality performance (except when kicking for goal).