CTV > Mick Malthouse's Friday press conference

COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse was coy on Friday when asked whether star forward Anthony Rocca will play in the round 10 clash against the West Coast Eagles at the MCG on Saturday.

Rocca has been named, but Malthouse admitted he was not a certainty.

“Anthony’s probably going to be always in doubt because of his body but he’ll play more games than he misses,” he said.

“He’ll play sore at times, he’ll play free of pain rarely.

“He’s a player at 30 years of age that’s been through a lot.

“He knows how to carry it and we think we know how to get him over the line and we think we know how to get the best out of him.”

Malthouse said last week’s 86-point win over Geelong would be wasted if the team couldn’t back it up this week against the Eagles.

“You don’t want to have a very good win, only to have a very poor loss, because you haven’t got your attitude right,” he said.

“We like to think that once people have had time to look at why we were able to maintain that effort, they are summoned to produce the same.”

Malthouse said he was all too aware that producing the same effort would be difficult.

“The proof’s in the pudding, I suppose,” he said.

“I guess when you set standards you’d like to think that you can maintain those standards.

“Now some of them are very difficult to maintain. The great sides have been able to achieve that for a number of weeks through a year, which eventually gets them as well.

“We don’t see great sides last any more than two or three seasons these days.”

Malthouse said also that the Magpies couldn’t be judged on a one-week effort.

“Geelong, Hawthorn and the Bulldogs this year are certainly the benchmark and we failed miserably two or three weeks earlier (against the Hawks). I don’t know that you need one week to find out where you’re at.”

Malthouse believed that West Coast’s 50-point win over Adelaide last week could herald a change of fortunes in their season.

“I think they’ve turned their season around,” he said.

“And they’ve probably done it because of the young kids and their enthusiasm.

“Their selection process is very good. They pick players to play in their side under their conditions and the way they play. I thought their game last week was extraordinary, quite frankly.”