Damo's Roar Profile

Had someone suggest to me recently perhaps the NAB Cup needs a bigger carrot at the end to entice clubs to actually try. HE suggested a first round draft pick. Thoughts?

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agreed. You can’t compare apples and oranges. Freo set out to install a workman like team, a team of older bodied underated players to fit with the underdog persona they were trying to in body. Port Adelaide brought back as many ex-pats as they could and upgraded many mature players from the SANFL team the Magpies.

The Suns and Giants are going for a dynasty that will last for years, something neither Port or Freo could do even to this day. Dynasty’s are established in the AFL only by having a large core of players hitting that magical 100 game mark at the same time. Their strategy has been flawless in this respect.

BUt again I do agree with you- need some wins on the board this year, especially if this Premiership in five years (or was it three?) is gonna happen.

How many games must the Gold Coast Suns win in 2013? ‏

I’m using an official listing of recognized players. I’ve also used a little nonce and personal bias, I’ll admit. Hall is recognized as a ruckman according to my sources. He may be a little short but his vertical leap is (as it should be for his background) superb. I didn’t list Dixon as he (in my opinion) is best suited as a key position tall at either full back/half back where he’s played some good footy last season or full forward. Sure he can take the ruck duties at the ball ups in the forward/back fifty but I wouldn’t say center square ruck work is the best thing for him or the Suns long term- imagine having a young gun FF with broken ribs and general soreness from competing in and losing the center ruck battle.

Bunny,

Cheers for your interest and opinion.

Firstly, I gave them a B+ to an A- for last season based mainly on effort. And largely that effort was Kruezer I will concede. I will concede further and say perhaps I should have graded harsher, but the point of my article is to grade the CURRENT state of the rucks.

Secondly, The only reason I didn’t judge them harsher was ( as I mentioned in the article ) because of the poor or inconsistent performance in the midfield. At no stage did I say anything about Hampson other than he was “Inconsistent,” likewise with Warnock who I described as having “VFLitus.” And i have addressed Kruezer’s past lack of form due largely to injury and that, according to my info (which includes Carltons website) the guy is fit and firing.

Thirdly, I rate on a basis of how complete the ruck division is. By this I mean whether there are any glaring deficiencies (depth, injuries etc). Right now you have three fit Ruckman, Rowe who has other issues presently (and i wish him the best) and no reason to fear a repeat performance. Based on this preseason, your ruck looks solid. I don’t doubt that a three year extension for Warnock was foolish to say the least, and that Hampson has been frustrating for a long time, but changes in form happen and Malthouse may be the difference for these two (again something I mentioned in the article).

Fourthly please do not presume ignorance of other fans. This site is about ones sporting opinion, and my opinion is that Carlton supporters should be optimistic about their ruck options. Including you.

Lastly, invest in spell-check.

HA! Can’t beleive i left out the Bombers in Wangaratta. Well, i guess it doesn’t really count anyway being a preseasons match and the fact that it never actually happened. I actually really like the idea of teams playing for points in regoinal centres- i doubt it’ll ever happen, but seeing more games like North Melbourne in Ballarat for example

Thanks mate, no one asked for a rating though, and really, i wouldn’t of judged you if you just,,,you know…stopped reading, maybe? Did something productive with your time, maybe?

It’s just a puff piece, just opinion, expressing why Fremantle (for me) are still an unknown

I agree when it comes to the Force and Rebels, but i also wonder if theres an opportunity for inter state membership here? Perhpas in a couple of years when both clubs are (hopefully) better established? Special, half price memberships for, say, the Rebels in SA (include free admision to Adelaide games, maybe a package deal for games in Melbourne, fan pak etc) and a similar deal with the Force in Broome, or Darwin, or whever else we can send them to play?

So perhaps the ARU doesn’t even need to follow an AFL example as much as an NZ example! You guys are obviously doing something right, so theres nothing wrong with following the plans of the world champs

Blue Blood, I’m a really rare breed- a South Australian who baracks for a Melbourne club! I’ve barracked for the Rebels since inception (although from afar) and i was gutted when they pulled out of coming here. I think they really have missed a real opportunity to engage with Adelaides Rguby Community which is larger than most people think!

Sweet! maybe he’ll bring back my mighty Fury!

Breaking: Ben Buckley steps down as FFA CEO, David Gallop to replace

The one thing that makes this idea half decent is the fact that it’s player driven. Some great things can come out of Player involvement- NRL Indigenious v All Stars Game was player driven.

Other then that, lacks passion, vision, direction and sense.

East vs West AFL All Star game will not work

It’s all well and good to say this now, but wait for the game.

And even if the players don’t resent Tom, i guarantee the Dee’s fans will have an extra wide grin if they win, and a loss will rub salt in a very deep wound

Scully now an AFL enemy, say Demons

It works in other sports really well, and honestly i can’t see much of a negetive impact on this one. Having said that it would have tobe a good reason to install this rule- give it another KO ala Bruest v Martin and then it’ll be discussed seriously

Breust's knockout suggests need for interchange rule

OK, lets clear some stuff up-

Some of you are confusing the point of this article. Of course i am talking proffesionally. Ammetuer sports thrive in all states no matter what the most popular pro team is in the region (this coming from a mens netballer).

The Giants and Swans and Keiren Jack should be examples of another option for PROFFESSIONAL sports.

Also, APOLOGIES FOR MISSPELLING WARD’S NAME STUPID OVERSITE ON MY HALF

Keiren Jack is the true hero of first Sydney derby

LOVE the comments on this, love the feeling!!

Brendan, i found this just after i wrote the article;

“Universal football was a proposed hybrid sport of Australian rules football and rugby league, trialled at the Sydney Showground in 1933. The game has not been played since that time[citation needed].

Following negotiations between the New South Wales Rugby League and Victorian Football League a report, including a proposed set of rules, was prepared by the secretary of the NSWRL, Harold R. Miller. A trial game was held in secret, but the plans were never instituted.

The game was designed to be played by teams of 14 on oval fields. The off-side rules of rugby league applied within 35 metres of the rugby league-style “H”-shaped goalposts. Hand passes could only be made backwards, though knocking-on and regathering were permitted. Players could be tackled anywhere between the knee and the shoulders. The Australian rules style of mark was kept. Tries were worth two points and conversions kicked over the crossbar were worth one point.”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variations_of_Australian_rules_football

Remember guys this is just a bit of fantasy fun, i don’t like feeding trolls so i wont say any more

Is the NRL-AFL hybrid game just a beautiful dream?

I have a list for each team, naming players by position. Lynch as a full forward/ deep forward pocket is the obvious place for him, but should he be needed no doubt he’ll add to the ruck. Such is WC ruck division right nowhe’s best suited (i feel) at full forward helping out Jack Darling who i think will be a Coleman medalist one day

Reviewing the Rucks: St Kilda, Sydney, West Coast

I would be (if i was Scott) very hesitant to move Petrie from the forward line if i could help it. It would take both McIntosh and Goldstein to go down injured for me to even consider it before using Majak Daw.

Reviewing the rucks: Kangaroos, Port and Tigers

yeah reasonable argument mate, certainly if Cox wasn’t in the team the grade would be very very different, but i’ll get to that in my next article

Hopefully this also sets a precedent on expansion into non-soccer areas. Albeit the bad guy here is Palmer and not the GC’s love of rugby league, but surely the next license is given to an area in soccer heartland like the fore mentioned western suburbs or Canberra.

Football fans rejoice: Clive Palmer is gone

samwise,

This is not, as i’ve said in my past articles on this, an exercise in COMPARING rucks but rating them- big difference. A+ means North’s Ruck division is as good as it can be.

Not to my knowledge, but perhaps in this year where they’re not really expected to even make the eight, it might be a chance to experiement with some new rotations. Mitch Clarke, Stephan Martin and Mark Jamar will probably have to now take the brunt of the ruck. But lack of height will definately be an achilles heel for the D’s this season

Reviewing the rucks: GWS, Demons, Hawks

RE Melbourne; well with Jake Spencer and Max Gawn out for the season, they’ve had a real blow to their depth- that’s their only two players over 200cm out for a year. I would seriously expect Clarke to have a greater role in the ruck now, and i’d also drop my rating to a C

In the listings i have he;s not mentioned as a ruckman, but ofcourse that doesn’t mean he wont get a chance if needed or atleast ruck the forward half

Wookie,

fair enough mate that’s your opinion, these kind of opinion pieces are just a bit of fun and food for thought any way.

Hammer, this is less an exercise in comparison as it is evaluation. Essendons ruck stocks are right now are, according to my criteria (check out my next article which outlines that a bit better) fantastic. Versatile, flexible, and incredibly deep. As far as the essendon footy club goes, they have the best ruck stocks they could hope for. Same with Carlton.

Tom C both of those clubs will be rated highly too.

Reviewing the rucks: Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon

Apologies for the spelling errors in this piece, next one will be edited better

Reviewing the rucks: Adelaide and Brisbane

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