Didak
what about him
I’ll be honest they could completely make up 2 guys and as long as they tell me they’re both 6’5"+, I’ll come on here and applaud it.
I hope we pick Conlon up. Looks very very good in his highlights reel
Sikora isnt a AFL ruckman..
While I agree with this wholeheartedly; EFC wouldn't have him training with us if he wasn't the one we were interested in taking in the rookie draft. Even though I hope they explore other options, it seems we will have to get used to him because he is the lad coming on board.
Sikora isnt a AFL ruckman..
While I agree with this wholeheartedly; EFC wouldn't have him training with us if he wasn't the one we were interested in taking in the rookie draft. Even though I hope they explore other options, it seems we will have to get used to him because he is the lad coming on board.
We have in previous years had the senior members of the VFL side train with the AFL blokes in the preseason, before VFL squads are finalised.
what about him
Didak
Wsphu
Does anyone know if other clubs are likely to rookie rucks?
I know it sounds like overkill, but I'm leaning towards this if possible.Jolly as an AFL-ready ruck insurance policy for 2014 (as a rookie) and go after a young ruck to develop
We only have two players on our entire list who can play ruck (Paddy & Bellchambers). The rest are all pinch hitters.
Most other clubs have at least four players who can play ruck for large parts of the game (or being developed to do so).
I know it sounds like overkill, but I'm leaning towards this if possible.Jolly as an AFL-ready ruck insurance policy for 2014 (as a rookie) and go after a young ruck to develop
We only have two players on our entire list who can play ruck (Paddy & Bellchambers). The rest are all pinch hitters.
Most other clubs have at least four players who can play ruck for large parts of the game (or being developed to do so).
Daniher is a ruckmen, he isn't a pinch hitter. He would only play that role because he body hasn't developed to be able to take that punishment.
We have 2, number #1 ruckmen. If Ryder gets suspended, Belly rucks 75%, Daniher comes in and rucks the other 25%. Same if Bellchambers gets hurt, Ryder rucks most of the day and Daniher rucks the rest.
Other teams have 4 ruckmen, but teams rarely have 2 guys who are good enough to be #1 rucks in most opponents. Those back-up ruckmen on others teams are back-ups for a reason. Big bodies to come in and give the real ruckmen a rest.
We have 3 players who can play in the ruck, we will rookie list another one. We can't allocate so much of our cap space to back-ups.
I know it sounds like overkill, but I'm leaning towards this if possible.Jolly as an AFL-ready ruck insurance policy for 2014 (as a rookie) and go after a young ruck to develop
We only have two players on our entire list who can play ruck (Paddy & Bellchambers). The rest are all pinch hitters.
Most other clubs have at least four players who can play ruck for large parts of the game (or being developed to do so).
Daniher is a ruckmen, he isn't a pinch hitter. He would only play that role because he body hasn't developed to be able to take that punishment.
We have 2, number #1 ruckmen. If Ryder gets suspended, Belly rucks 75%, Daniher comes in and rucks the other 25%. Same if Bellchambers gets hurt, Ryder rucks most of the day and Daniher rucks the rest.
Other teams have 4 ruckmen, but teams rarely have 2 guys who are good enough to be #1 rucks in most opponents. Those back-up ruckmen on others teams are back-ups for a reason. Big bodies to come in and give the real ruckmen a rest.
We have 3 players who can play in the ruck, we will rookie list another one. We can't allocate so much of our cap space to back-ups.
I don't think we can rely on Daniher to ruck for 25% of game time. He'd get smashed. Also, I think he can be relied on to play around 10 to 15 games this year. Twenty games would be a bonus, but wouldn't be expected.
Teams with at least 2 #1 rucks...
Freo - Sandilands and Zac Clarke in the 22, Griffin and Jack Hannath as depth, Kepler Bradley to pinch hit, Apeness to be developed.
GWS - Mumford and Giles in the 22, Phillips as depth, Tom Downie and Rory Lobb to be developed.
NM - Goldstein the sole ruck in the 22, Daniel Currie and Majak Daw as depth, Ben Brown being developed.
WCE - Nic Nat and Cox in the 22, Lycett the backup, Sinclair the rookie backup.
Ess - Ryder & Belcho in the 22, Daniher developing (but more as a forward than as a ruck), ...
The rest of the teams...
Adel - Jacobs & Jenkins in their 22, McKernan & Graham as depth.
Bris - Leuenberger & Martin in their 22, Trent West as depth.
Car - Kruezer in the 22, Warnock as depth, Rowe to pinch-hit as depth
Coll - Grundy & White in the 22, Lynch & Witts as backup, Hudson as rookie if things go wrong.
Geel - Blicavs & Vardy in the 22, Simpson & McIntosh as depth.
GC - Smith in the 22, Nicholls & Gorringe as the depth.
Haw - McEvoy & Hale in the 22, Grimley, Lowden & Ceglar share whatever else is required.
Melb - Jamar in the 22, Fitzpatrick, Gawn, Spencer and Pederson share whatever else is required.
Port - Lobbe in the 22, Redden as the depth. They have said they'll rookie Renouf.
Rich - Maric in the 22, Hampson as the depth, Stephenson as the rookie.
StK - Longer in the 22, Hickey as the depth.
Syd - Pyke in the 22, Derrickx & LRT share whatever is left over.
WB - Minson, Roughead & Campbell are in the 22, Cordy takes whatever is left over.
The above doesn't include players being developed. Solely players who can play five to ten games in the ruck if required. I'd say Collingwood, Geelong (more due to injury), GC, Hawthorn, Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda and Sydney are the weakest, but they can still get away.
You are correct though. There aren't many with two number 1 rucks. But the better teams (excluding GWS) all have backup options if anything goes wrong. I don't think it is wise to 19 year old forward in the ruck should things go wrong.
Maybe Jolly isn't the right choice for us, but we need someone who can step in straight away if required without taking away from our forward line (we only have Hurley & Daniher at the moment).
I'd prefer to gamble on a rookie list spot for Max King, Darcy Cameron, Nick Prowse or even Scott Jones to develop as a rookie ruck alongside a mature age ruck like Jolly or Bart McCulloch. It's not that big a risk. If the mature age ruck isn't good enough, then delist him next year. Hopefully the developing ruck is worth hanging on to.
If heppell’s brother isn’t picked,it has to be a tall forward and a ruckmen from either vfl,sanfl or wafl(18 year olds won’t make a dint unless they are 100kgs or so)!
Sikora filled in for a few games in my local comp for Pakenham during the season, and I saw a few games.
Whilst he was classes above the Casey-Cardinia league(reasonably strong comp) I wouldn't have thought he was AFL standard.
Only the WA teams have a better ruck combination than us, and that is because they have back up.
The rest of the teams...
Adel - Jacobs & Jenkins in their 22, McKernan & Graham as depth.
Bris - Leuenberger & Martin in their 22, Trent West as depth.
Car - Kruezer in the 22, Warnock as depth, Rowe to pinch-hit as depth
Coll - Grundy & White in the 22, Lynch & Witts as backup, Hudson as rookie if things go wrong.
Geel - Blicavs & Vardy in the 22, Simpson & McIntosh as depth.
GC - Smith in the 22, Nicholls & Gorringe as the depth.
Haw - McEvoy & Hale in the 22, Grimley, Lowden & Ceglar share whatever else is required.
Melb - Jamar in the 22, Fitzpatrick, Gawn, Spencer and Pederson share whatever else is required.
Port - Lobbe in the 22, Redden as the depth. They have said they'll rookie Renouf.
Rich - Maric in the 22, Hampson as the depth, Stephenson as the rookie.
StK - Longer in the 22, Hickey as the depth.
Syd - Pyke in the 22, Derrickx & LRT share whatever is left over.
WB - Minson, Roughead & Campbell are in the 22, Cordy takes whatever is left over.
The above doesn't include players being developed. Solely players who can play five to ten games in the ruck if required. I'd say Collingwood, Geelong (more due to injury), GC, Hawthorn, Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda and Sydney are the weakest, but they can still get away.
Add Port to it and they are clubs who are ■■■■■■ if their number #1 ruckman goes down. In fact, probably on Geelong and Hawks will be ok.
If Grundy from the Pies goes down, do you really think White or Lynch or Witts could carry the load? Not a chance. Daniher is a better option than those 3 which says a fair bit. Also, if Tbell or Paddy get suspended for 1-2 matches, then the other ruckman can ruck 85% of the game and Daniher 15%. Using Collingwood as an example, if Grundy is out for 2 weeks, would they really want Lynch or Witts or White rucking for 85% of the time?
Speaking on radio this morning, Football Operations Manager Steven Alessio says that WA big man Darcy Cameron is on the radar to join the Bombers along with Michael Sikora who is training with the club.
Personally, I'd have thought Sikora's only chance is if we simply can't get anyone else like Cameron.
Claremont colts ruckman Darcy Cameron is training with Essendon in the hope of being snapped up by the Bombers in tomorrow's rookie draft.
Cameron was overlooked in last Thursday's national draft despite a stellar season with the Tigers and outstanding test results at the national draft combine.
Three ruckmen were selected in the national draft, with Michael Apeness heading to Fremantle in the first round, Greater Western Sydney picking Swan Districts' Rory Lobb in round two and Tasmanian Toby Nankervis going in the second round to Sydney.
The Bombers called Cameron last Friday to invite him to train at the club with several other potential draftees
Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro confirmed the club was looking at Cameron as a potential rookie selection.
"Darcy Cameron is here training with a number of other young players," he said. "They will train with the VFL squad tomorrow. He is certainly one of a number of players the club is looking at for potential rookies."
The 203cm Albany junior ran a 2km time trial yesterday in 7min. 20sec. Cameron averaged more than 27 hit-outs and 12 disposals in his 16 colts games and 19.3 hit-outs and just under 10 possessions in four matches with WA at the national under-18 titles. Cameron performed strongly at the national draft combine in Melbourne last month, returning impressive results in the beep and agility tests while finishing equal second in the kicking test.
Last month, WA Football Commission State academy manager Raff Guadagnino heaped praise on Cameron.
"Darcy's hand-eye co-ordination is the best I have seen from a 2m-tall player in under-18s football since Nic Naitanui," Guadagnino said. "He is a good example of a player who prides himself on developing his skills."
Tomorrow's pre-season and rookie drafts are the last opportunities for AFL clubs to add players for the 2014 season
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/wafl/20023537/cameron-gets-last-shot-with-bombers/
Only the WA teams have a better ruck combination than us, and that is because they have back up.
The rest of the teams...
Adel - Jacobs & Jenkins in their 22, McKernan & Graham as depth.
Bris - Leuenberger & Martin in their 22, Trent West as depth.
Car - Kruezer in the 22, Warnock as depth, Rowe to pinch-hit as depth
Coll - Grundy & White in the 22, Lynch & Witts as backup, Hudson as rookie if things go wrong.
Geel - Blicavs & Vardy in the 22, Simpson & McIntosh as depth.
GC - Smith in the 22, Nicholls & Gorringe as the depth.
Haw - McEvoy & Hale in the 22, Grimley, Lowden & Ceglar share whatever else is required.
Melb - Jamar in the 22, Fitzpatrick, Gawn, Spencer and Pederson share whatever else is required.
Port - Lobbe in the 22, Redden as the depth. They have said they'll rookie Renouf.
Rich - Maric in the 22, Hampson as the depth, Stephenson as the rookie.
StK - Longer in the 22, Hickey as the depth.
Syd - Pyke in the 22, Derrickx & LRT share whatever is left over.
WB - Minson, Roughead & Campbell are in the 22, Cordy takes whatever is left over.
The above doesn't include players being developed. Solely players who can play five to ten games in the ruck if required. I'd say Collingwood, Geelong (more due to injury), GC, Hawthorn, Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda and Sydney are the weakest, but they can still get away.
Add Port to it and they are clubs who are ****** if their number #1 ruckman goes down. In fact, probably on Geelong and Hawks will be ok.
If Grundy from the Pies goes down, do you really think White or Lynch or Witts could carry the load? Not a chance. Daniher is a better option than those 3 which says a fair bit. Also, if Tbell or Paddy get suspended for 1-2 matches, then the other ruckman can ruck 85% of the game and Daniher 15%. Using Collingwood as an example, if Grundy is out for 2 weeks, would they really want Lynch or Witts or White rucking for 85% of the time?
I agree. Collingwood in particular are screwed. But Hudson (on their rookie list) can get them out of trouble. The others have players who have at least done two pre-seasons or played games.
Melbourne were screwed as Jamar was out last year, but they got coverage from Fitzpatrick, Gawn and Spencer who have all been in the system for a few years now.
How can you rely on Daniher (19 year old who has played 5 games) in the ruck more than White, Lynch, Witts, etc. and others on that list who have either played more than a handful of games or have been in the system for 3 or 4 years training as ruck men? If Collingwood had to get 5 to 10 rucking games out of White, Lynch and Witts combined, then I'd back them to do that ahead of getting 5 to 10 rucking games out of Daniher.
I just don't see Daniher as being as valuable in the ruck for us as he could be in the forward line.
I understand that Daniher only plays ruck should Bellchambers or Ryder be injured, but that is likely considering both Bellchambers Ryder has missed an average of 5 games in the last two years. Daniher has only played 5 games and most of them in the forward line.
Our tall forwards are Hurley (I'm assuming he won't be played in the back line), the resting ruck and Daniher. That's it unless you factor in Carlisle moving forward. I can't see us not taking two rucks with the two rookie choices, but happy to let the club make that decision.
How can you rely on Daniher (19 year old who has played 5 games) in the ruck more than White, Lynch, Witts, etc. and others on that list who have either played more than a handful of games or have been in the system for 3 or 4 years training as ruck men? If Collingwood had to get 5 to 10 rucking games out of White, Lynch and Witts combined, then I'd back them to do that ahead of getting 5 to 10 rucking games out of Daniher.
I just don't see Daniher as being as valuable in the ruck for us as he could be in the forward line.
Because in the scenario I suggested, if Collingwoods #1 ruckman goes down, then White/Witts/Lynch would have to ruck a fair chunk of the game (at best 50-50)
If one of our ruckmen go down, Daniher has to ruck 10% of the game. And while Lynch/Witts/White/Gawn/Fitzpatrick/whoever have had 3-4 Pre seasons under their belt, that doesn't mean they are any good. I'd back Daniher to outruck at least 3 of them if he was the second ruckman and those blokes were also the second ruckman.
Speaking on radio this morning, Football Operations Manager Steven Alessio says that WA big man Darcy Cameron is on the radar to join the Bombers along with Michael Sikora who is training with the club.
Although I've only seen him play twice, I'm like most on this board who don't think Sikora has shown enough to warrant an AFL spot (even on the Rookie list).
It seems a bit of an odd decision by the Club unless they think he's got enough potential to develop - I'd be curious to know if any of the blitzers who watch our VFL side a lot reckon that's possible?
I suppose the other possibility is that he's better than any of the other players left in the rookie draft.
so it looks like we are going with a tall and then the best available pick.