Australian Football

A quintessential North Melbourne type in that he was tough as nails and ultra hard at the ball, Anthony Rock gave the Shinboners excellent service in 178 V/AFL games between 1988 and 1998 during which he kicked 138 goals. A regular Victorian state of origin representative he was one of North’s best, accumulating 25 possessions in their 1996 grand final defeat of Sydney.

Crossing to Hawthorn in 1999 Rock struggled to get into the team initially before becoming a virtual ever present. When he retired after the 2001 season he had added 44 games and 17 goals in the brown and gold. His last game of senior footy was actually with Hawthorn’s VFL affiliate Box Hill Hawks whom he helped defeat Werribee in the 2001 grand final by 37 points.

Following his retirement as a player Anthony Rock embarked on a sustained and varied coaching career which included stints as head coach of TAC Cup team Ballarat Rebels, Greenvale of the Essendon District Football League and amateur club St Berrnard’s Old Collegians plus assistant roles at Melbourne, St. Kilda, North Melbourne and, most recently, Fremantle.

Author - John Devaney