Sam Naismith was probably the standout state level ruck last year and he looks bog average at AFL level.
The really good rucks are hard to find. If we want a journeyman to stopgap, that’ll only happen at end of the year - they probably need to be AFL listed already.
I think a mid-season pick on a ruck would be a complete waste.
Yeah look maybe maybe not. I don’t think our ruck stocks have been this bad for a long time.
We had zac clarke on the list a few years back, FFS.
All you have to do is compare the stats and it shows exactly that in fact pittonet is the better player of the two and cost a fraction of the salary cap.
Iam on record in here stating that we have made a mistake with Draper and we are stuck with him because the media department love him.
During the COVID years?
Clarke was 2019. Phillips was 2020 onwards.
Those stats only really seem to show that Pittonet is pretty much rucking solo and Draper is splitting the duties to me.
Not to say Draper hasn’t been pretty rubbish this year.
As to our ruck stocks. Bryans one of the top couple of Rucks in the VFL. Not sure what people think is out there.
Guess we could always give Crossley a second chance 
, though Bryan beat him convincingly earlier in the year.
Give me Pittonet anyday
nah, thankfully it was only the one year, which was the one before covid.
I mean, we haven’t had good ruck stocks since the Ryder / Bellchambers / Hille era, and that was over ten years ago.
They aren’t exactly great right now, but it’s still the best they’ve been in a quite a long while.
Bryan needs to have a run of games, where he is the main ruck. Now is his chance.
I don’t think our ruck stocks look that bad at all.
Goldy is playing as well as you need a ruck to play.
Draper is injured but in terms of our mids ability to win the ball was doing better than Goldy.
We also have Bryan who I think is developing well in the 2s, clearly not the full package yet but is still only 22.
Then I have been very excited by Vigo because he seems to have something our other rucks don’t, which is the ability to be dangerous and impact up forward.
Vigo ! Vigo !
I’d say it’s more likely than not that one of Goldstein or Bryan aren’t on the list in 6 months, and a reasonable chance neither of them are.
Vigo The Carpathian
Well I don’t think Goldy will be on the list, but either way if one of them is off the list I would expect us to pick up another ruck who is able to play if required.
This is why we got Goldy. The good news is Bryan seems more durable and consistent. I think it will be good for him to get a stint along side Goldy, Bryan’s prospect will only increase as a result.
I hope not. He looked tired last week, especially in the second half.
Sounds like most “good” Essendon players over the last 20 years.
The year after Ryder left we had Bellcho, Jonathon Giles and Smack.
Sheesh yeah that’s grim. Worse than now thats for sure
