Pies Overrun After Rocca Loss
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday June 23, 2008
W Bulldogs 15.9 (99)
Collingwood 13.11 (89) ANTHONY ROCCA's playing future is in doubt after suffering a serious ankle injury yesterday as the depleted Magpies were overrun by the Western Bulldogs in a game that lifted the Dogs to second on the ladder.Rocca suffered the injury during the third quarter when he kicked the ball. The injury occured around where he had a screw inserted in his ankle in his most recent operation. Rocca snapped his Achilles tendon in 2005. His injury compounded the earlier loss of key forward Ben Reid in the first quarter to a broken foot, leaving the Pies with just two on the bench for most of the second half and desperately undermanned.The serious injuries prompted Collingwood coach Michael Malthouse to call for an enlarged bench exclusively for players unable to return to the field due to serious injury."Both boys who came off aren't too good so we will have to wait and see. I am not going to start making predictions," Malthouse said. "Neither of them are what you would call available next week I would imagine."It is not Anthony's Achilles. It is roughly where the screw went into his ankle after the last operation. That is where he is sore. And Ben looks like he may have broken his foot. I think it was Terry Wallace that said there is almost a case for the bench being enlarged for just injured players ... I think there is a lot of substance to that. When members pay their money they want to see a team win, lose or draw play with an even playing field. "It's very difficult to win with 20 players these days because it throws your whole lot out. We lost Ben very early and we lost Anthony in the third quarter so it cut us down. I have no doubt today we didn't have the flexibility to hold on or get back in the game to put pressure on them but that is the luck of the draw under the rules." Malthouse said the change could be made at each quarter break and would need the introduction of an AFL official to determine a player's fitness. When Rocca went off the ground Collingwood led by 23 points, but the Dogs piled on five of the next six goals to take a lead into the final break. Collingwood had led by 10 points to half-time but should have been further ahead after missing several shots at goal. Rhyce Shaw and Tarkyn Lockyer each botched three regulation shots before half-time.After climbing into second position on the ladder Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade admitted remaining in the top four was his side's priority now that a place in the eight was assured. Eade was frustrated with his side's poor skill level yesterday but praised the work and fight of his generals Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross in leading the team out of trouble.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald
