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.
kick to kick
Guest
As usual I love Gerard Healey's analysis, cited in the article. He's one of the game's best thinkers and its interesting to speculate what he might have achieved as a coach. A dominant ruckman's influence is not just immediate but causes displacement - how many opposition players are drawn to the contest to try to negate the ruck advantage? What space or advantage does that open elsewhere? The other crucial issue is the practised understanding between a ruckman and groundlevel players collecting the hit out. This is the value of a ruckman in the team structure and not just as an individual player. Just ask Geelong about Jason Ball's well rehearsed tap to Nick Davis for the Swan's winning goal three seconds from the end of the 2005 semi final.
Balthazar
Guest
No. He said that Sandi was the most over-rated player in the AFL because all he does is hit outs. Which shows that Matthews either (a) wasn't thinking or (b) doesn't watch Sandi/Freo much because the statement was demonstrably wrong. As shown yesterday. It's actually not untypical of the standard of Matthews' commentary on matters to do with Freo Mumford is a good ruckman. I assume though you are not suggesting he is better than Sandilands - that would be a difficult case to make
Cat
Roar Guru
You are correct Jack, it is last 40 games. A player’s most recent 30 matches are given maximum weight in determining his rating and matches 31 through 40 are progressively scaled between 100% and 10%. Match number 31 is still worth 100%, match number 22 is worth 90% of one match, match number 23 is worth 80% of one match and so on, all the way back to his 40th most recent match being worth just 10% towards his overall total. http://www.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%20Tenant/AFL/PlayerRatings/PlayerRatings_HOW.pdf
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
It's because it is applied through various deeds and actions by the player, and takes into account previous years (I THINK in total the previous 40 games for a player).
Dalgety Carrington
Guest
It was a bit of hack analysis by Leigh if nothing else. Full of sweeping statements without verification against specifics. I do feel an emotional statement such as "most overrated player in the AFL" doesn't really befit someone who is supposed to be a premier analyst of the game. It probably does reveal a certain bias and dismissive attitude Matthews has, more than anything about Sandilands and/or the worth of ruckmen, tap or otherwise.
Robbo
Guest
MATTHEWS was a champion player and coach and holds the respect of the wider football community, but for a section of South Australian fans he will forever be remembered as the man who ruined the career of Barrie Robran. Robran, South Australia's greatest player, was in the prime of his career in 1974 when he was taken out by Matthews in a state game at the SCG. The incident, which the North Adelaide Historical Committee described as a "wilful and avoidable charge", left Robran with a buckled knee and he was never the same again. No class
Dalgety Carrington
Guest
Or about the validity of the the system used to generate the AFL ratings.
Minz
Guest
Sandilands has really good hands for a big guy as well - takes a really nice mark when the opposition isn't hanging off him like toddlers on a shipping trip.
Mango Jack
Guest
Good point. He was talking about hit outs, as measured by who hit the ball first, and it is a useless stat. He used the hype over Sandilands to support his argument, saying that if touching the ball first in the restart is all the ruckman does, he is not adding much value. I'm pretty sure he would regard quality ruckmen like Mumford very highly.
Mango Jack
Guest
"Leigh mattews is a hack anyway". I'm pretty sure I've never read anything so silly. Multiple premiership winner as a player, regarded by many as the best ever, if not the toughest. 4 times premiership coach. How exactly is he a hack??
Balthazar
Guest
I made a similar comment about Matthews a few weeks ago. He is a hack. As a commentator, he is biased to teams he has coached/played with and is clueless about players in other teams. Sandi is a great ruckman and works a lot harder around the ground than people credit him for. his 5 contested marks around the ground today was one of the reasons why he was only one of 3 in the voting for the Glendinning Medal. A fair knock on him though is that although he is really good for the relieving mark in defence, he just doesn't have the same impact in the forward line as say Cox did at his prime
Mango Jack
Guest
The key being "dominant", which depends on the quality of their opponent.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Clark Keating played a huge role in the Lions' premierships as did big Beau.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Dalgety is spot on there.
Checker
Guest
Aaron Sandilands stats today = 20 disposals - 6 marks - 38 hit outs ... I would love to have an "over rated" ruckman like that at the Swans . . .
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
Ruckmen aren't over rated, Leigh Matthews didn't say they were. Hit outs as a statistic is not a great guide. We have effective kicks and have effective hand balls. Effective hit outs is an important guide.
Aransan
Guest
It comes back to my point that clubs seem to be more interested in recruiting mature bodies so long as they don't have to be included in their senior list.
TW
Guest
Off topic but related-- The AFL does not think ruckmen are outdated - They have just finished another talent combine in the US looking for tall mobile athletes. These combines after a slow start 2/3 years ago are now getting a bit more attention the recruiters say. They had to knock back some athletes this year for the first time after battling to get any numbers initially. This scheme can only get better especially if any of them get a game in the AFL later on. As stated in the article some clubs have them on their lists now. Read on -- http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-04-28/taller-than-sandi-cox-shines-at-international-combine
Mango Jack
Guest
Agree. When you have 2 evenly matched ruckmen, it is hard to get clean possession. It's then a lottery and down to your rovers. However, if your ruckman is dominating, he can hit out accurately to his team and this is undoubtedly an advantage. Measuring whose hand hits the ball first is not a relevant stat.
Aransan
Guest
I believe the Madden brothers actually commenced their senior (AFL/VFL or equivalent) careers at Essendon. A player expected to be a mobile ruckman might be recruited in their draft year at present but I wonder how many of the bigger bodies are recruited in their draft years these days. Is the path for tap ruckmen to be developed in lessor competitions for a couple of years and then to be picked up on someone's rookie list? If a team does spend some years developing a ruckman are they adequately compensated when the ruckman decides to go elsewhere -- e.g. Mumford (Geelong/ Sydney/ GWS)?