We’ve reached the penultimate review of this year’s rucks, where we check out Saint Kilda, Sydney and West Coast.
Remember, this review is all about grading the current ruck stocks of each club based on depth, experience and talent, and not about comparison. That said, let’s see what’s happening with the Saints…
St Kilda
Number One: Ben McEvoy
Backups: Jay Lever, Jordan Stanley, Justin Koschitzke
2011:
The Saints’ fall from grace last year started spectacularly, but was finally halted with some eventual good form in the latter half of the year.
Season 2012 will probably be a season where the Saints will push for, but are not guaranteed to, make the top eight – the perfect season to try some new things and some new players, especially in the ruck.
Ben McEvoy is the obvious and necessary choice for the number one spot, but it’s his list of backups I’m most interested in.
Will new coach Watters decide to keep trialling Koschitzke in the ruck, or will he keep him permanently forward? Will youngsters Jay Lever and Jordan Stanley emerge as the main stays, competing mercilessly for the job of number two?
Whatever comes, St Kilda has some serious ruck depth, even some wiggle room in this department to decide on a future, long-lasting combination with McEvoy.
Grade B
Sydney
Number One: Shane Mumford
Backups: Mark Seaby, Mike Pyke, Lewis Roberts Thompson
2011:
What a charge Sydney made last year at the finals! And what a ruck division!
Seriously, I have not written a deeper, more talented list yet. Mumford is one of the best in the game, Seaby is a known talent but suffers from under exposure under the Big Mummy, as does Mike Pyke, the impressive big Canadian ex-rugby star.
Lewis Roberts-Thompson, in my opinion, virtually saved his career by filling in the ruck (a la Justin Koschitzke) with Mumford either injured or suspended for a lot of last year, and proving more than capable.
With Mumford hopefully back for the full season, the competition for the role as his back-up is a tight one, with LRT possibly leading the pack purely with his versatility.
But if he does not shape up, or is injured, or falls out of form, there’s two very well-suited ruckman behind barking at his heels.
Grade: A+
West Coast
Number One: Dean Cox
Backups: Nic Naitanui, Scott Lycett
2011:
The Cinderella story of the year was undoubtedly the West Coast Eagles, who have long threatened to get back to 2005-06 form, but fallen short.
Many expect this to be the year when it happens, and off the back of two of the best ruckmen in the game.
The Cox and Nic Nat tandem is easily the best established ruck duo currently in the game, and the perfect example of ruck flexibility.
While Nat takes the ruck duties, Cox takes the forward line and vice versa. Or, both take to the mid-field. Two such athletes are rarely seen in the same team like this.
However the danger in this system is the risk of injury. With Cox heading towards the twighlight of his career (even though he shows no signs of slowing down), and Nat not yet dominating whole games just yet, like we all know he will, injury to the Master could expose the Apprentice, exposing perhaps a lack of depth.
Only Scott Lycett, who West Coast fans are waiting to hit top form with baited breath, will then need to cop the brunt.
Let’s hope that a). neither Cox or Nic Nat fall this year, as that would be a tragedy for all football lovers, and b). Lycett hits top form, and rounds out the most appreciated ruck squad out there.
Grade: A+ (breaking my own rules a bit, because the depth here is questionable, but hell I’d be crazy to not give an A+)
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