Davey and Rocca out of the ANZAC Day Clash
April 24th 2008 23:46
Essendon v Collingwood - MCG - (Friday 25th April at 2:40 pm)
That's right, Alwyn Davey and Anthony Rocca are both officially out of their respective line-ups for today's blockbuster between Essendon v Collingwood at the MCG. And the big question is: which of these gun players is the bigger loss?
Traditionally AFL football has placed a great emphasis on tall forwards and key position players. Think about the likes of Coleman, Dunstall, Carey, Ablett. Players who have a genuine capacity to turn a match based on their personal form and the accuracy of their goal-kicking. At his best, Anthony Rocca is such a player - big, strong and explosive in attack - and with the ability to kick a goal from inside the centre square if he really gets onto it.
On the other side of the fence for Essendon, Alwyn Davey is just the opposite. A young quick running small forward / mid-fielder with acceleration and pace to burn and a killer tackle courtesy of his deceptive upper-body strength.
The truth is that both of these players are incredibly important to their teams. Rocca, the big locomotive, offers battle-hardened toughness and experience, straightens up Collingwood's surges into attack and provides plenty of crumbs for small forwards like Didak to pounce on. Davey, the little engine that could, offers the energy and enthusiasm of youth, applies pressure for the Bombers throughout the ground through his relentless tackles, launches key plays through his uncanny ability to read the play, and has the ability the break a game wide open with his momentum-swinging world-record challenging charges through the midfield.
In an Essendon team that is already depleted of hard-running players through injury, my feeling is that Alwyn Davey will be the bigger loss when the teams take to the field this afternoon. For their sake, let's hope he doesn't need a full ACL reconstruction. Otherwise, his season will be over, and it could be season over for the Bombers.
That's right, Alwyn Davey and Anthony Rocca are both officially out of their respective line-ups for today's blockbuster between Essendon v Collingwood at the MCG. And the big question is: which of these gun players is the bigger loss?
Traditionally AFL football has placed a great emphasis on tall forwards and key position players. Think about the likes of Coleman, Dunstall, Carey, Ablett. Players who have a genuine capacity to turn a match based on their personal form and the accuracy of their goal-kicking. At his best, Anthony Rocca is such a player - big, strong and explosive in attack - and with the ability to kick a goal from inside the centre square if he really gets onto it.
On the other side of the fence for Essendon, Alwyn Davey is just the opposite. A young quick running small forward / mid-fielder with acceleration and pace to burn and a killer tackle courtesy of his deceptive upper-body strength.
The truth is that both of these players are incredibly important to their teams. Rocca, the big locomotive, offers battle-hardened toughness and experience, straightens up Collingwood's surges into attack and provides plenty of crumbs for small forwards like Didak to pounce on. Davey, the little engine that could, offers the energy and enthusiasm of youth, applies pressure for the Bombers throughout the ground through his relentless tackles, launches key plays through his uncanny ability to read the play, and has the ability the break a game wide open with his momentum-swinging world-record challenging charges through the midfield.
In an Essendon team that is already depleted of hard-running players through injury, my feeling is that Alwyn Davey will be the bigger loss when the teams take to the field this afternoon. For their sake, let's hope he doesn't need a full ACL reconstruction. Otherwise, his season will be over, and it could be season over for the Bombers.
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