On 17/05/2025 at 16:42, beelzebub said:

You grant far too much kudos to our coaching. Our forward craft is in a word, pathetic . In so far as being useful at AFL level our forward structure and training ( might as well throw in selection ) is immature.

There's NO ONE there capable of instructing JVR or any really in anything useful.

He's getting "Melbourned" .... royally

Still think that?

Just saw this quote about JVR taken from Zero Hanger:

"However, winning a hitout is just half the battle of a ruck contest. The other half is knocking the ball to the advantage of a teammate to gain possession. No other non-ruck has been better at this facet of ruck craft than Jacob van Rooyen this season.

The Demons key forward has rotated in and out of the Melbourne side in 2025, having featured in just eight games with struggles to get opportunities in front of the big sticks. However, when required, he's been much more than a servicable replacement for the AFL's greatest ruckman Max Gawn, hitting the Sherrin to advantage 33.3% of the time. While van Rooyen understandably has one of the lower ruck contests competed in per game with 12.5, he is wildly effective in those contests. In fact, van Rooyen's hitout to advantage rate of 33.3% is not just the best amongst non-rucks, it's the best in the entire league with rucks included too!"

Perhaps we should view him as a forward pocket ruckman rather than a key position forward. Jeffo and Turner as keys, with JVR in the pocket.

5 minutes ago, Neil Crompton said:

Just saw this quote about JVR taken from Zero Hanger:

"However, winning a hitout is just half the battle of a ruck contest. The other half is knocking the ball to the advantage of a teammate to gain possession. No other non-ruck has been better at this facet of ruck craft than Jacob van Rooyen this season.

The Demons key forward has rotated in and out of the Melbourne side in 2025, having featured in just eight games with struggles to get opportunities in front of the big sticks. However, when required, he's been much more than a servicable replacement for the AFL's greatest ruckman Max Gawn, hitting the Sherrin to advantage 33.3% of the time. While van Rooyen understandably has one of the lower ruck contests competed in per game with 12.5, he is wildly effective in those contests. In fact, van Rooyen's hitout to advantage rate of 33.3% is not just the best amongst non-rucks, it's the best in the entire league with rucks included too!"

Perhaps we should view him as a forward pocket ruckman rather than a key position forward. Jeffo and Turner as keys, with JVR in the pocket.

not the worst suggestion. my only question would be defensive pressure.

3 hours ago, Neil Crompton said:

Just saw this quote about JVR taken from Zero Hanger:

"However, winning a hitout is just half the battle of a ruck contest. The other half is knocking the ball to the advantage of a teammate to gain possession. No other non-ruck has been better at this facet of ruck craft than Jacob van Rooyen this season.

The Demons key forward has rotated in and out of the Melbourne side in 2025, having featured in just eight games with struggles to get opportunities in front of the big sticks. However, when required, he's been much more than a servicable replacement for the AFL's greatest ruckman Max Gawn, hitting the Sherrin to advantage 33.3% of the time. While van Rooyen understandably has one of the lower ruck contests competed in per game with 12.5, he is wildly effective in those contests. In fact, van Rooyen's hitout to advantage rate of 33.3% is not just the best amongst non-rucks, it's the best in the entire league with rucks included too!"

Perhaps we should view him as a forward pocket ruckman rather than a key position forward. Jeffo and Turner as keys, with JVR in the pocket.

Who is he rucking against in those contests though? Might be the other teams part timer most of the time.

Having said that it's a pretty interesting stat and he's a super useful player in that area. At the end of the day we're better off if JVR doesn't have the burden of being our number one forward, at least until he's 25 at least.

4 hours ago, Neil Crompton said:

Just saw this quote about JVR taken from Zero Hanger:

"However, winning a hitout is just half the battle of a ruck contest. The other half is knocking the ball to the advantage of a teammate to gain possession. No other non-ruck has been better at this facet of ruck craft than Jacob van Rooyen this season.

The Demons key forward has rotated in and out of the Melbourne side in 2025, having featured in just eight games with struggles to get opportunities in front of the big sticks. However, when required, he's been much more than a servicable replacement for the AFL's greatest ruckman Max Gawn, hitting the Sherrin to advantage 33.3% of the time. While van Rooyen understandably has one of the lower ruck contests competed in per game with 12.5, he is wildly effective in those contests. In fact, van Rooyen's hitout to advantage rate of 33.3% is not just the best amongst non-rucks, it's the best in the entire league with rucks included too!"

Perhaps we should view him as a forward pocket ruckman rather than a key position forward. Jeffo and Turner as keys, with JVR in the pocket.

The other stat re. JVR is that of the 8 games he has played we have lost every one and, you guessed it, the 5 he didn’t play we have won. No blame intended but doubt that would be good for his confidence.

Edited June 17, 2025Jun 17 by Maxie

4 hours ago, Neil Crompton said:

Just saw this quote about JVR taken from Zero Hanger:

"However, winning a hitout is just half the battle of a ruck contest. The other half is knocking the ball to the advantage of a teammate to gain possession. No other non-ruck has been better at this facet of ruck craft than Jacob van Rooyen this season.

The Demons key forward has rotated in and out of the Melbourne side in 2025, having featured in just eight games with struggles to get opportunities in front of the big sticks. However, when required, he's been much more than a servicable replacement for the AFL's greatest ruckman Max Gawn, hitting the Sherrin to advantage 33.3% of the time. While van Rooyen understandably has one of the lower ruck contests competed in per game with 12.5, he is wildly effective in those contests. In fact, van Rooyen's hitout to advantage rate of 33.3% is not just the best amongst non-rucks, it's the best in the entire league with rucks included too!"

Perhaps we should view him as a forward pocket ruckman rather than a key position forward. Jeffo and Turner as keys, with JVR in the pocket.

Are we sure he was trying to tap to advantage and not mark the ball?

FWIW there was in the 70s a forward at toiges who did not prosper and was traded to the swannies.

He still did not prosper until he was switched from FF to the ruck.

He ended up winning the brownlow. His name was Graeme (Graham?) Teasdale.

Why not try?

ROO !!!!

📢📢

What an incredible difference

• forward leading into space,

• Mids kicking to space in front of that forward

• Confidence to nail set shots

4 marks I50 from Roo and Mihoceck.

Nice to have some forward presence again.

Six goals and one behind.

Great set shot.

Hopefully this is his breakout year.

Keep going Roo.

We placed a lot on his shoulders and felt somewhat let down.

But he has shown us what he can do with proper fwd entries.

Better movement and wonderful kicking on the weekend.

Excited to see what this season has in store for him

Players can have a game that really is a breakout for them and turns their career around.

They gain confidence in their own ability and also that of the team to provide them support.

Yesterday could be that game for Roo, who has shown ability in the past, but not dominance.

Yesterday he dominated.

Genuinely didn't think he could be this player. I thought the hard hands and inability to find separation were stuff he'd have to cope with for his whole career. Just one game, of course, but it looks like that's not the case.

If JVR can be more than just a solid 25 to 30 goal a year trier, we're in a better list spot than I thought.

Kiss the ground on whoever pumped Mac Andrew up in that draft year and whoever changed the NGA rules after JUH was taken by the Bulldogs. We would have drafted Andrew otherwise and missed out on JvR. Fact.

3 minutes ago, Freddy Fuschia said:

Kiss the ground on whoever pumped Mac Andrew up in that draft year and whoever changed the NGA rules after JUH was taken by the Bulldogs. We would have drafted Andrew otherwise and missed out on JvR. Fact.

This has always been the saving grace of the deal for those of us who rated JVR as a serious prospect.

He looks very fit and uses that as a weapon to exploit the space in front of him.

Two things have helped him; the game style is quick and allows for JVR to take out in front without the need to engage his opposition. The second thing is Mihocek; he has come in and moves into the right spots and agitates defenders and engages them to allow for JVR to have space to follow into and/or to avoid having to have players peel off into the contest.

The next step for JVR is to build his awareness of when HE should engage his opponent to return the favour as that will be when we have a dangerous and effective forward line with talls that work for each other and are hard to close down.

Good article in the age this morning. Sounds like last season when he kept on getting dropped just shattered his confidence.

For a young bloketo put up his hand & say I need to speak to someone when trac recommended a sports psychologist to speak to, it sounds like it's done wonders & hopefully after last weekend hopefully his confidence is high.

He's a beautiful set shot

everything about him screams future leader to me

I'm mindful that I don't want to get too carried away with him but something that I found really frustrating about fans potting him last year is that they forget his age! This is his 5th year in the system and 4th year of AFL, bearing in mind that he has also been played as a second ruck for a most of his time sicne breaking into the seniors. The vitriol that was being levelled at him by Dees fans was completely unfair, and while I don't want this to be yet another Goody bashing post, there can't be much doubt that they were doing his development no favours following his first full year in the seniors.

One great game doesn't mean much if it can't be replicated on a semi-regular basis, but the early indications are that he feels far more comfortable in his skin, and the addition of Checkers is going to allow him the space to grow which he simply hasn't had. I hope we don't see him at any centre bounces for the entire year.

3 hours ago, dees189227 said:

Good article in the age this morning. Sounds like last season when he kept on getting dropped just shattered his confidence.

Not what I took out of that article.

Jacob was interviewed on SEN this arvo by Kane Cornes and Tom Morris. Thought the young man spoke very well. Link below. He's item 2 on the menu so you don't have to listen to the whole show.

JVR interview

8 hours ago, Go the Biff said:

Jacob was interviewed on SEN this arvo by Kane Cornes and Tom Morris. Thought the young man spoke very well. Link below. He's item 2 on the menu so you don't have to listen to the whole show.

JVR interview

Where did Roo grow up? Got a real country lad vibe about him. I know he played for Claremont as a junior.

Edited 15 hours ago15 hr by KozzyCan

Only kicked 1 goal after half time. Has he peaked too early?