B: Reid. Ridley. Roberts
HB: El-Hawli. Mckay. Redman
C: Shiel. Martin. Duursma
HF. Perkins. Caddy. Langford.
F: Kako. Jones. Caldwell.
R. Bryant. Durham. Merrett.
INT. Mcrath. Parish. Tsatas. Hobbs.
SUB. Setterfield
I’d like us to try Draper or Bryan as a sole ruck, with Cox as a back up and round the ground mobile ruck. We simply have to find ways to make our team more mobile and quicker across the ground. Finals footy pressure = closing speed.
Finals footy ball movement = seperation speed. We are too slow and immobile. I think Cox could excell in the role given a decent go at it.
Brisbane won a flag without their best ruckman and playing a bloke from the seconds against one of the best in the business.
Ruckman do not win games for anyone, unless they can dominate marking around the ground.
Maybe ruckman are now superfluous.
In saying that, Grundy was one of the Swans best on GF day. So that can either back up your point that ruckman may not influence games in the modern era or his team mates didn’t use his dominance to the best of their ability.
Either way you need to be 7 ft tall with the tank of a midfielder to have an impact in 2024!
Yep, Grundy was probably Swans best player. And when Max Gawn is on his game, it is great to watch.
I was trying to remember the last Ruck and Rover combination that would dominate, and not sure if you see the same partnerships any longer. The game is so quick and congested that the clever rover sharking the packs may also be a relic of the past.
Yeah but Brisbane also had an elite midfield of Neale, Dunkley, McCluggage, Ashcroft, elite players in defence in Andrews and Zorko and elite players in forward line with Daniher, Cameron, Bailey and in elite form Rayner, Lohmann, Ah Chee
A good ruckman goes a long way, especially one that can take marks around the ground. Any talent anywhere on the field is a bonus and we should be aiming to have elite talent everywhere we can
All true, but I am not sure the Draper, Bryan or Goldie add value to the Team.
Draper averages about 2 marks a game, Gawn averages 5
Bryan also average about 2, Goldie averages 3 but it has dropped away the last few years.
So if a a ruckman is not actually directing hit outs to his teammates, taking few marks each game and kicking very few goals, then what is he good for.
Would Brisbane make the Grand Final if Fort was ruckman all year?
Good question, guess the same could be said about Grundy are well.
Maybe I am wrong, but I dont think that ruckmen are the influence that they once were. Maybe Matthew Knights was before his time.
Not as dominating as they were Bacchus agree.
The way stoppages have become so congested and the rise in skills of the mid has def taken their influence away. And his rover … will we ever see another Skilton type I wonder.
But when games are tight, a ruck, fresh still in the key stoppages able to give critical first use, take an important mark up back or forward, or like Sammy D just belt it out our way from a CBA will always be a useful weapon to have as a team. I think so anyway.
Absolutely nothing….say it again…
Probably a liability to field a Team with Draper, Bryan and 2MP.
I guess with tall midfielders like Cripps and the Bont, a ruckman needs to be 214 cm to tower over any one.
Dermie reckons Nate Caddy will be a mid-fielder, probably just like when he said in 2006 that Tom Hislop was the steal of the Draft and will be a champion.
Only ever on a dry day.
And only ever if 2MP gets his mojo back somehow, yes
Also thought D Martin would fizzle.
Are you saying they should die hard?
I think, they need a bit more love actually
Feel like most of the teams listed here are fairly similar - with a different mix of Draper/Bryan/Jones/2MP & Cox. The big issue is we cannot fit all 5 of those guys in the 23, even having 4 of them probably makes us too top heavy…
I’m starting to think we have to play Bryan as starting ruck, and park Draper down forward most of the time. Jones & Caddy rotate through CHF.
If Draper cannot perform as a key forward then he is dropped to the reserves and replaced by 2MP, and Cox will feature anyway at some stage as he can play a variety of roles. Going with this for round 1 (for now!)
Ridley McKay McGrath
Redman Reid Merrett
Duursma Parish Roberts
Martin Caddy Gresham
Langford Draper Kako
Bryan Durham Caldwell
Bench: Perkins Shiel SEH Jones
SUB: Guelfi
Emergency: Tsatas Hobbs Cox 2MP
I wasn’t going to read this thread as I thought it would bring on depression, it has, thanks Blitz ( ia m just kidding for those unable to tell)
Do you really think that Draper can be Full Forward ? He is less mobile than 2MP, and takes less marks, and doesn’t kick as well.
For me Draper is 1st Ruck or in the VFL, as he will never be what we need in the forward line.
B: RATH, McKay, Ridley
HB: Redman, Reid, Merrett
C: Duursma, Durham , Martin
HF: Gresham, Caddy, Perkins
F: Kako, P.Wright, Langford
FOLL: Draper, RISH, Caldwell
I/C: Bryan, Roberts, Cox, Jones, Tsatas
EMG: Hobbs, Guelfi*, El Hawli
What an awful list
