With season 2012 fast approaching, let’s look into each club’s ruck stocks in an attempt to find the league’s best.
These kind of exercises are always speculative and everyone will have their own opinion, so bear in mind that these grades are based primarily on season 2011 form.
Carlton
Number one ruckman: Matthew Kreuzer
Back ups: Sean Hampson, Sam Rowe, Robert Warnock
Carlton’s 2011 season saw them back in a position that their fans expected them to be – deep in September action. They got there without their biggest of big men in Matthew Kreuzer, sidelined by injury for much of 2011 after recovering from a ruptured ACL and battling a foot injury at the same time.
In his place Robbie Warnock began proving his worth. He was backed up by the now all-seeing Sean Hampson, who recently underwent laser eye surgery to correct his vision (and hopefully his marking ability too). Now with a full ruck battery, and (hopefully, for everyone’s sanity) a powerful, strong-marking Hampson taking some slack while holding a forward position, Carlton looks even more impressive than last year, with an imposing brigade of followers and proven depth to spare.
Grade: A+
Collingwood
Number one: Darren Jolly
Back Ups: Cameron Wood, John Ceglar, Shae McNamara (international rookie), Jarod Witts (NSW Scholarship player), Corey Gault
The former reigning premiers entered season 2011 as the team to beat, and as the season wore on not a lot changed. Darren Jolly, a proven premiership player and leader, soldiered on as expected, while Cameron Wood started showing signs as the perfect deputy.
Reports from the club reveal a strong rivalry amidst the younger ruckmen. In particular the ever-growing John Ceglar – who was told to “lift heavy things… and eat” as part of his preseason preparation – is in a battle with American recruit Shae McNamara and the highly rated Jarod Witts. All will be competing for spots in the ideal training environment of Collingwood’s VFL team. The club’s rucks look bright for the future, but perhaps aren’t as deep as the already-flourishing internal rivalry.
Grading: A
Essendon
Number one: pending
Back Ups: David Hille, Patrick Ryder, Tom Bellchambers
Essendon are overstocked in lead ruckmen, and are loving it. Let’s face it, what team wouldn’t want to be spoilt for choice with these three big men every selection day?
The big question is how to balance them. The Bombers hierarchy seems confident this can be achieved in 2012, and I for one can’t really see why not. The aging David Hille would look at home by playing full forward while rucking in the forward half. This would not be a punishment for his age, but rather a sensible management decision to keep the champ playing for another three to four seasons.
Young Tom Bellchambers, an absolute revelation in 2011, should be competing for the number one spot with Paddy Ryder. Ryder, who is also a proven defender and forward, could effectively rest in either of these zones while Bellchambers continues his rise to stardom.
Grading: A+ (if not purely for potential)
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