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A debate has been raging over the value of ruckmen ever since AFL legend Leigh Matthews claimed that hit outs were the most overrated statistic in football.
Some pundits and fans have argued that big men, and their ruck work, have been made irrelevant by canny midfield tactics.
On the other side of the fence are those who believe ruckmen remain highly valuable commodities, particularly the towering players capable of giving their side first use of the ball regularly.
I am with the latter group.
Matthews, a former Hawthorn champion and four-time premiership coach, stated that hit outs were a “useless” measure. He then extended that logic to label Fremantle behemoth Aaron Sandilands as the most overrated player in the AFL because “hit outs is all he does”.
He said that Sandilands’ long-time Western Derby foe, Eagles’ beanpole Dean Cox, was a far more potent footballer.
“Now that’s a great ruckman (Cox), because he’s good at the hit outs, fantastic follower and gets around the ground,” Matthews said.
On this point I agree with Matthews. Cox is the best ruckman of the past 20 years and at his peak, was as influential as almost any player in the AFL. However, Sandilands, too, deserves to be recognised as one of the elite players of the modern generation. Matthews was unfair in claiming that the Docker’s only input into games was via hit outs.
Sandilands has averaged 15 touches per game over the past seven seasons, a fantastic return for a ruckman. He may not be as damaging with his possessions as a player like Cox but he is not as one-dimensional as some claim.
Bombers coach Mark Thompson backed Matthews’ statements last week, adding that he had “never placed a great emphasis on ruckmen either”. Yet as the coach of Geelong he oversaw the recruitment of Brad Ottens, whose aggressive ruckwork was instrumental in the Cats’ premiership triumphs in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy, meanwhile, said on Melbourne radio that Sandilands was being short changed amid the debate.
“Sandilands’ imposing nature and the fact you know he is going to win most taps means the opposition almost always plays an extra man at the stoppage, which means (Fremantle) can use Michael Johnson as a loose man across half-back,” Healy said.
“His hitouts to advantage always have to be seen in light of that. How often do they lose the clearance but Michael Johnson gets the ball at half-back and sends it forward for them to score?”
Part of this debate has been framed around the market value of West Coast’s struggling big man Nic Naitanui, who is supposedly angling for a new deal in the range of $1 million a year.
That would be an inflated salary given the injury-hampered 24-year-old has rarely made a significant impact on games since the 2012 season.
But who would you rather in your team, at full fitness? Naitanui or Tom Scully, a diminutive midfielder already on that sort of pay packet up at Greater Western Sydney? I can’t imagine many fans would select the latter.
A dominant ruckman in the mould of a Sandilands, Cox or Naitanui inarguably enhances a team. It allows them to dictate strategies at the stoppages in the manner to which Healy referred.
Aside from the fact your opposition is constantly on the defensive at centre bounces, ball ups and boundary throw ins, it also gives you a far greater chance of clear breakaways from such scenarios. This is invaluable given the greater defensive pressure and cunning structures implemented by the best sides in modern footy.
It is easy for teams to have their ball movement choked by these negating tactics. But if you gain a clean possession from a stoppage the opposition often do not have the requisite time to push players back to stymie your attacking forays.
A dominant ruckman, if exploited fully, is still one of the most incisive weapons in the game. This is particularly so when it really matters in September. Finals footy generates such ferocious intensity that players have less time and space. Hence the ability to launch forward from stoppages thanks to precise ruckwork is pivotal.
Sandilands was one of the Dockers’ top three most important players last September as they marched into their first grand final. He followed up impressive efforts in their finals wins over Geelong and Sydney by racking up 44 hit outs and 13 touches against Hawthorn in the biggest game of the year.
Unfortunately, Fremantle squandered the opportunities and impetus afforded by Sandilands’ ascendancy in the ruck. Had the Dockers kicked straight they may well have won the match and Sandilands would have been a strong contender to take home the Norm Smith medal.
Had Sandilands been playing for Hawthorn that day it’s difficult to imagine the Hawks not recording a sizeable victory.
Of course this is all hypothetical. But, to my mind, the team with the better ruckman always starts with a significant advantage.