It seems that the quest for talls is on again in earnest across the board.

Ruck merry-go-round set to spin again

We need someone to give Max a chop out and the two kids in the VFL are not exactly standing up as yet. Do we keep them (or one) and try elsewhere?

Maybe its been suggested before but Oscar is 197cm. Pretty mobile and with Frosty doing a great job (imo) as a tall back, once Jake Lever is back on track, why isnt he thought of as a swap out ruck? With his brother Tom and Hogan/Weids doing their bit, it could get us through a year or two. It seems this year there is a real dearth of good big men.

My thoughts are we should flick one of Flipper or King, use the place for an additional back or mid, use our other talls like Weid, TMac, Hogan etc as the chop out ruck. We proved last year when Gawn was injured we don’t need a ruckman to win games (win/loss stats from last year were similar either way). If you have a high quality mid group they can read an opposition ruck well enough to win you games. Oh course we would always prefer Gawn playing, but it’s not life or death.

Currently on St.Kilda's rookie list is Rowan Marshall.  201cm 100kg 23 and this kid seriously can play. Great mark and has the body to ruck already.

If there is any chance to get him, I would throw the kitchen sink and the rest of the kitchen, but I suspect the Saints will lock him in for a very, very long time.

 

42 minutes ago, george_on_the_outer said:

Currently on St.Kilda's rookie list is Rowan Marshall.  201cm 100kg 23 and this kid seriously can play. Great mark and has the body to ruck already.

If there is any chance to get him, I would throw the kitchen sink and the rest of the kitchen, but I suspect the Saints will lock him in for a very, very long time.

 

Unfortunately Marshall has shown too much promise this year.

Hard enough these days for a team to carry one ruck let alone two. Anybody remotely good would be looking for a number 1 spot or at the very least a club where you had a chance of challenging for number 1. Good example is North with Goldstein slowing down.

As earlier posters have mentioned we need to pick a couple of KPP's and teach them ruck skills and rely upon those people as back ups. If they are in the best 22 all the better but perhaps they could be at VFL level on the cusp.

Weideman is an obvious candidate but he will not stay post 2019 unless he sees a future.

The fact that we have signed Austin Bradtke, 17, 205cm tall as a Category B Rookie means that at least one or both of Filipovic and King will most likely not be retained.

While both of them are young and it takes time for ruckmen to develop, I think the club needs to bite the bullet and go for a player who would be able to fill Max's shoes if he gets injured in the future. Bradtke would assume the role of development ruckman and others such as Tom McD and Sam Weideman can play the role of forward/ruckmen to help out.

I think that's about all a club can carry given there is no VFL development league these days.

Keep Mitch and flip Flipper I reckon.

Lewis Pierce at St Kilda goes alright too. Also 23 and 202cm.

6 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The fact that we have signed Austin Bradtke, 17, 205cm tall as a Category B Rookie means that at least one or both of Filipovic and King will most likely not be retained.

While both of them are young and it takes time for ruckmen to develop, I think the club needs to bite the bullet and go for a player who would be able to fill Max's shoes if he gets injured in the future. Bradtke would assume the role of development ruckman and others such as Tom McD and Sam Weideman can play the role of forward/ruckmen to help out.

I think that's about all a club can carry given there is no VFL development league these days.

Good idea but they are few and very far between and as I mentioned we will only attract the journeyman VFL level player.

Perhaps look at who rucks for the non aligned VFL clubs and the SANFL equivalents etc and then see what you can find.

Rucks as a specialist position will die a natural death in the next 10 years unless a revolutionary approach is taken to their development. Bradtke has about a 1 in 5 chance of making it... (that's about average for the whole of the AFL and probably even less for a ruckman.)

Preuuuuussssssssss

48 minutes ago, Salems Lot said:

Keep Mitch and flip Flipper I reckon.

Jeez I've seen 3 Casey games on TV and in those games King & Filipovic did SFA - barely won a tap, can't remember them taking a mark & were well beaten.  I've seen nothing to suggest either is up to it.  

I'm still on my Sam Baulderstone campaign. Superb tap ruckman, booming kick, impacts around the ground, and can physically hurt his opponent.

Massive question marks on whether he has the aerobic capacity to adapt to AFL but he's defied naysayers before and continues to get around the ground and be the dominant ruckman in the SANFL year after year. 

The way team-sheets are shaped nowadays, you can't really maintain two premier rucks on a list. Give Sam a back-up spot for a couple of years while we develop a young 'un. Some old draft highlights: 

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2014-09-23/draft-prospect-sam-baulderstone

In his country Clayton Oliver days: 

Loved his highlights clip... especially the shot of the cars parked around the boundary.

I am starting to think you need three or more designated ruck rookie positions. These rookies are tied to the club within reason but are then farmed out to non aligned or next tier clubs for their development.

I'm sure we can come up with a set of rules to make it work. If not I am lost as to how you develop ruckmen.

Remember there is some discussion about getting rid of the reserve competitions we know as the VFL.

27 minutes ago, Skuit said:

I'm still on my Sam Baulderstone campaign. Superb tap ruckman, booming kick, impacts around the ground, and can physically hurt his opponent.

Massive question marks on whether he has the aerobic capacity to adapt to AFL but he's defied naysayers before and continues to get around the ground and be the dominant ruckman in the SANFL year after year. 

The way team-sheets are shaped nowadays, you can't really maintain two premier rucks on a list. Give Sam a back-up spot for a couple of years while we develop a young 'un. Some old draft highlights: 

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2014-09-23/draft-prospect-sam-baulderstone

In his country Clayton Oliver days: 

With a Surname like that, I really do hope his teammates have done him the justice of nick-naming him 'Rock'.

I've said elsewhere that both Mitch King and Lachie Filipovic have not done enough and in one sense the club has already moved on by making Austin Bradtke a category B rookie.

But he is a development ruckman and the issue for footy list manager is to decide whether he needs a ready-made short-term back-up just in case Gawny gets injured. But let's face it, no-one is going to replace Maxy.

But if we decide to go down the back-up path then:

Our boys were spanked in the ruck by 210cm Northern Blues tapman Angus Milham, who has just turned 24. I'm sure there are plenty of others in SANFL and WAFL that I am not across that would be cheap pick ups that can win tap outs.

And obviously if we were to trade Jesse then with pick 6 or 7 we would be able to snare another King - Max or Ben are 201cm and third time lucky we would have to get the right royal. 

And if we didn't trade Jesse, there is also the option of getting a tall forward/ruck back-up - ie: Matt Taberner or Levi Casboult - as a short-term cover for that unlucky day that we pray doesn't happen. 

Flippa and king will be both delisted. Both useless.

I can see the club taking someone like a Zac Clark whos been tearing the WAFL apart on a 1 year deal for Gawn insurance.

The club may also look at Matthew Flynn from the GWS. 201cm and 105kg aggressive ruckman who can play up forward and kick goals.

2 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Jeez I've seen 3 Casey games on TV and in those games King & Filipovic did SFA - barely won a tap, can't remember them taking a mark & were well beaten.  I've seen nothing to suggest either is up to it.  

I was not clear..I think they will keep Mitch and flip Flip

Doubt pruess would want to play second fiddle but Tom Nicholls and Zac Smith are very handy players

Agree to axe Flipovivvvccccc & King. 

Both have shown little to suggest they can or could ever step up. 

We need ruck insurance. 

Grab a cheap backup in Campbell (dogs), leuenberger or one of the Saints big men (longer???).  Cheap 1 year contract as a backup only.  Pick 88 material. 

Wildcard is Alex Barns from Nth Adelaide roosters. 23yo goalkicking ruckman. Ready to go. Could draft this bloke around 70 mark. 

5 hours ago, Skuit said:

I'm still on my Sam Baulderstone campaign. Superb tap ruckman, booming kick, impacts around the ground, and can physically hurt his opponent.

Massive question marks on whether he has the aerobic capacity to adapt to AFL but he's defied naysayers before and continues to get around the ground and be the dominant ruckman in the SANFL year after year. 

The way team-sheets are shaped nowadays, you can't really maintain two premier rucks on a list. Give Sam a back-up spot for a couple of years while we develop a young 'un. Some old draft highlights: 

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2014-09-23/draft-prospect-sam-baulderstone

In his country Clayton Oliver days: 

He could work for Baulderstone by the look of him. 

We don't need another ruckman Weed can do it if we are desperate. Allow King and Bradtke to mature unfortunately I think Filipovic is cooked.

I'm still hoping to see two meter Peter in red and blue.  He's got the skill-set, he's got the size , he's friends with Lever and he's a dirty bastard. 

15 hours ago, McQueen said:

With a Surname like that, I really do hope his teammates have done him the justice of nick-naming him 'Rock'.

I have this fantasy of breaking out into a 'who ate all the Pies?' chant following a dominant ruck game by big Sam against Collingwood.

7 hours ago, RalphiusMaximus said:

I'm still hoping to see two meter Peter in red and blue.  He's got the skill-set, he's got the size , he's friends with Lever and he's a dirty bastard. 

I like it. Perhaps send jkh to Suns in exchange