Our Ruck Stocks

Football Discussion Dustin Fletcher Hangar
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Our ruck division would go close to being the worst in the competition. It is a real problem for us.
And they are all ageing as well bar Draper who was playing soccer a couple of years ago.

Leuenberger was really poor around the ground today. You can cop him losing the tap outs against Sandilands but to be out positioned and out bodied completely around the ground against Taberner is embarrassing. When he drifted back in defence to help out he was clueless.

Bellchambers we all know is coming from a long way back.

Where do we go from here?

Just run with what we’ve got for another 2-4 years and hope a kid comes through or do we target a ready made ruckman from another club?

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Can’t believe they didn’t play Bell. He would have been massacred by Sandi but at least he can take a mark.

Pray for Draper.

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Who cares? Bulldogs rucked with Lin Jong. It’s the midfield stocks that are among the worst in the comp

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once again its the whole ‘forward line isn’t work draft tall forwards’

then its ‘back line isn’t work get defenders’

then its ‘rucks aren’t working get rucks’

its never, ‘the midfield is letting down every other area so lets keep drafting those other areas’

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Yeh. Ruck is why we lost today.

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Our midfield is glacially slow, bar 2-3 players have to have the worst skills in the game and did i mention slow?

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Of course our midfield is the priority and is the main reason we are getting beaten.

Fact remains our current ruck stocks are a problem for us. If you can’t see that I can’t help you.

It’s not a question of one or the other. Both areas need real improvement and bolstering.

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Luenberger is literally useless apart from tapping it. He’s as slow as a treacle, can’t kick a goal and cannot mark.

I’d play belly over him just for the fact he can actually mark and kick a goal.

All three of our rucks are garbage. I still reckon mckernan was stiff to get omitted in the first place and I prefer him to luenberger any day

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I wouldn’t say it is the worst in the competition.

Parish is developing nicely and Zach Merrett is elite

Heppell is coming in after a year off and finding his groove.

Dont forget we have the likes of Colyer and co coming back off suspension so give them some slack.

Also who says we havent drafted mids? Mutch and Clarke are in the magoos and wasn’t Laverde drafted as Mid?

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Nah lav ws a HFF/mid.

Mutch and clarke are not fast. good accumulators and decent user (mutch)

you’ve mentioned 4 playters a midfield needs to be 16 deep on gameday.

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And we keep detracting from building a good midfield for these other positions.

with the interchange cap and the pace of the game, its the most important group on the ground.

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In regards the original post, its a catch 22 if we draft or trade for a good ruck.

Drafting a ruck takes a years to develop and not guarenteed to make it… Look at Nyon for that. Draper is very raw so would need a while to develop and that could be more than 2 years considering from how far back he is in his development.

Trading is also hard as most clubs would put a hefty asking price on their young developing rucks.

I dont reckon there is one that is available, coming out of contract.

Pittonet (hawks) has signed on until 2019 or thereabout
Longer (Saints) has signed on for 2 years more
Smith (Bris) injured atm but cant see him leaving.

This draft has some nice ones in it that could go early, but they said that about Jeremy Goddard who didn’t get picked by any club.

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BUT but but we have to play Leuey because he has a great record against Sandi*

  • outpointed him once, in about 2010

I certainly think other options could give us more out of the position. Even if they’re going to lose the taps by 40 instead of 35 (!)

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I don’t think it’s as bad as that, but we really should be looking to play Belly over Leuey. Reckon Belly took more contested marks last week than Leuey has all year. I Leuey, but outside the centre bounce he’s virtually a liability, and Belly offers some attacking options.

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I must be a very poor judge. I thought Leuey want that bad. Sandilands didn’t seem to do very much damage at all.

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51 - 12

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Even that, whilst not great by any stretch, is somewhat expected against Sandilands the giant. It was how poor he was around the ground in marking contests that stuck out like dogs balls. Not even able to halve contests and bring it to ground. FFS.

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Luey is the worst type of ruckman to have.
In that your mids need consistency, Either get consistently beaten in hit-outs or consistently win them.
Luey is your middle man meaning know one has an idea what to expect.

To me he adds little round the ground.
Bellchambers can go forward and therefore is a far better player/choice at the moment.

I feel for Mckernan, he’s actually ahead of his time. In 5 years all teams will draft or pick is a guy like him who can become another mid at ground level.
It’s prob starting to go that way. Melb showed last week that the mobile ruckman can be the way to go.

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He lost in the ruck to fkg tabenar.