Jump to content

Gawn Main Ruck, Grundy Up Forward?


Young Angus

Recommended Posts

  • Demonland changed the title to Gawn Main Ruck, Grundy Up Forward?

Gawn is a better forward than Grundy, pretty easy to see. Id like to see a full game of Gawn forward and Grundy in the ruck the whole time. Grundy has played his best footy for us when Gawn was injured and he rucked the whole game surprise surprise. 

  • Like 1
  • Thinking 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Lewis said:

Gawn is a better forward than Grundy, pretty easy to see. Id like to see a full game of Gawn forward and Grundy in the ruck the whole time. Grundy has played his best footy for us when Gawn was injured and he rucked the whole game surprise surprise. 

Can't ignore that Gawn rucking led us to premiership though...now maybe things have changed since then, but there's some chatter about Gawn being better off on his own, not sure if that's true but let's say it might be, surely just send Grundy forward and teach him to kick better, he'd make a decent tall target at least and Max can go back to doing his thing without trying to figure out some new ruck combo.

It wasn't broke, so why are we fixing it?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Young Angus said:

Can't ignore that Gawn rucking led us to premiership though...now maybe things have changed since then, but there's some chatter about Gawn being better off on his own, not sure if that's true but let's say it might be, surely just send Grundy forward and teach him to kick better, he'd make a decent tall target at least and Max can go back to doing his thing without trying to figure out some new ruck combo.

It wasn't broke, so why are we fixing it?

Gawn had Luke Jackson rucking a lot in our flag year ... 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Smokey said:

Gawn had Luke Jackson rucking a lot in our flag year ... 

Very true...is Grundy trying to replace Jackson's role or are they trying to have him ruck a bit more than Jackson was?

Lots of things worked a lot better that year, not just the ruck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Lewis said:

Gawn is a better forward than Grundy, pretty easy to see. Id like to see a full game of Gawn forward and Grundy in the ruck the whole time. Grundy has played his best footy for us when Gawn was injured and he rucked the whole game surprise surprise. 

Maybe Gawn is better at winning contested marks, but below average when taking set shots.

Grundy is better at kicking.

Which one we need the most?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

the experiment isn’t working. Max is nowhere near AA form for the first time in 7 years years. neither can play fwd well. Especially now in the wet winter months we are exposed. 

Im tempted to drop Grundy and play Brown - an actual fwd who can lead and not get in the others way. 

massive call but it’s worth considering imo

Link to comment
Share on other sites


17 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Gary Lyon was campaigning for Gawn to play the majority of minutes in the ruck, last night on "The Couch"

He obviously didn't say this but I got the impression from Lyon that if Grundy's forward craft didn't improve then Casey could be an option for Grundy.

Well that’s a wasted $600k…

We just need to commit to what was the intention - Grundy more ruck and Gawn deep forward. 

Then we need to move it to Gawn’s favour and allow Brodie to play like he is comfortable playing when in the ruck. 

Gawn holding up the team as he slowly saunters forward from the ruck because we are bereft of faith and trust in our forwards doesn’t help. Nor does our lack of a number 1 forward to make Gawn a point of difference in the pocket.

The ruck situation isn’t a problem in my eyes, we are dominating contest and ground balls against good teams and that was one of the worries of being too tall.

We just aren’t making the most of our opportunities when past halfway.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, DubDee said:

the experiment isn’t working. Max is nowhere near AA form for the first time in 7 years years. neither can play fwd well. Especially now in the wet winter months we are exposed. 

Im tempted to drop Grundy and play Brown - an actual fwd who can lead and not get in the others way. 

massive call but it’s worth considering imo

Gawn remaining in AA form was never in the cards once Grundy was brought in. It is to add 3 years to his career and develop into a forward that can kick 35 goals a season.

  • Like 1
  • Clap 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, rpfc said:

Gawn remaining in AA form was never in the cards once Grundy was brought in. It is to add 3 years to his career and develop into a forward that can kick 35 goals a season.

problem is he’s not a fwd. he has 7 goals this season. i don’t think he will suddenly develop into one  i know he plays fwd only part time

i don’t care if Gawn is AA as such. it just highlights his diminished impact. As our captain i think it also impacts the team

  • Like 1
  • Sad 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all, I’ve had a question gnawing at me.  (Please go easy- first time poster and not sure where else I could get an answer).  After the Collingwood match I heard a few say that Fritch going to Moore was a good tactical move. This I found confusing because I assumed that the defenders would dictate who they match up with.  Can anybody enlighten me? 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing I hate about Gawn's game this year is his propensity to grab the ball out of the ruck and hack a high kick straight up the chimney or at best to the edge of the centre square. What's the point of the midfield if not to tap it to them and get the ball moving quickly away from the contest and deep inside 50 while the forward line is one on ones due to 6-6-6?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Roostwo said:

Hi all, I’ve had a question gnawing at me.  (Please go easy- first time poster and not sure where else I could get an answer).  After the Collingwood match I heard a few say that Fritch going to Moore was a good tactical move. This I found confusing because I assumed that the defenders would dictate who they match up with.  Can anybody enlighten me? 

I suppose it will also depend on the strategy that any given team uses. Could be that Collingwood prefers zone defence, in that case all Fritta needs to do is to stay in the vicinity of the area guarded by Moore. On the other hand, if a team prefers man to man coverage, you'd need to have very mobile forwards going up and down the field to confuse/attract the opposition defensive line and create the match ups that you want.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Gary Lyon was campaigning for Gawn to play the majority of minutes in the ruck, last night on "The Couch"

He obviously didn't say this but I got the impression from Lyon that if Grundy's forward craft didn't improve then Casey could be an option for Grundy.

That's my reading too of Garry last night. I agree with everyhting he said , and the stats of Grundy being a target are a worry.  He seemed close to deperate in his plea to give back Max his dominant role.

This issue now smells a bit like petty going forward and de-stabilizing another strenght - our Flad standard defence.

I hope Goody and team have a plan and we don't see another wasted year for this group.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gawn as the main ruck

Grundy as sub

BB back in for Chandler

Bowey for ANB

Genuine forwards when available pls.  No wanna bees like Grundy and/or Max as a regular option.  They just aren't effective enough, accurate enough (in the case of Max @ 44%) and take up the space of another player who could potentially add alot more value.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

As you say if we had experienced key fowards this would be a worthwhile idea. Not every week but say one in three.

Agree on that if we don't DJ.

BB appears ready and should be back in this week.

If Goodwin reads the tea leaves he will come to his senses and Grundy should be the sub to be utilised around 3/4 time or slightly before depending on when / if Gawny is cooked.

Maybe later if Gawn's managing much deeper into a match.

Grundy can also be unleashed for a tall forward if they get injured or having a shocker.  Or maybe played out of their skin, match in the bag and that player put into cotton wool in prep for the following week.

Imagine the oppo ruck getting mauled by Max for 2 to 3 quarters, then having to face a fresh Grundy in the last part of the game.  Terrifying prospect.

The tap bros experiment is unnecessary once the forward line is finalised and has a full compliment of genuine tall forwards.

Which it will have available starting this week on BB's return

Edited by Demon Dynasty
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites


33 minutes ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Agree on that if we don't DJ.

BB appears ready and should be back in this week.

If Goodwin reads the tea leaves he will come to his senses and Grundy should be the sub to be utilised around 3/4 time or slightly before depending on when / if Gawny is cooked.

Maybe later if Gawn's managing much deeper into a match.

Grundy can also be unleashed for a tall forward if they get injured or having a shocker.  Or maybe played out of their skin, match in the bag and that player put into cotton wool in prep for the following week.

Imagine the oppo ruck getting mauled by Max for 2 to 3 quarters, then having to face a fresh Grundy in the last part of the game.  Terrifying prospect.

The tap bros experiment is unnecessary once the forward line is finalised and has a full compliment of genuine tall forwards.

Which it will have available starting this week on BB's return

Like this idea!

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Agree on that if we don't DJ.

BB appears ready and should be back in this week.

If Goodwin reads the tea leaves he will come to his senses and Grundy should be the sub to be utilised around 3/4 time or slightly before depending on when / if Gawny is cooked.

Maybe later if Gawn's managing much deeper into a match.

Grundy can also be unleashed for a tall forward if they get injured or having a shocker.  Or maybe played out of their skin, match in the bag and that player put into cotton wool in prep for the following week.

Imagine the oppo ruck getting mauled by Max for 2 to 3 quarters, then having to face a fresh Grundy in the last part of the game.  Terrifying prospect.

The tap bros experiment is unnecessary once the forward line is finalised and has a full compliment of genuine tall forwards.

Which it will have available starting this week on BB's return

There's no way we got Grundy and pay him what we do to play one quarter every week. I like the outside of the box thinking though, but can't see it happening.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ron Barassi didn't break through as a gun player until a role was invented for him... that being ruck-rover.  This suggestion may be howled down etc  but why not play Grundy as a mid/ruck-rover? He could tag-team with Gawn then. The competition may never look the same. 

When one of these players gets tired they could rest in the back pocket, a la Ted Lees.  (https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pp-melbourne-demons--ted-lees

  • Like 4
  • Clap 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Demonland Forums  

  • Match Previews, Reports & Articles  

    CLEAN HANDS by KC from Casey

    The Casey Demons headed into town and up Sydney Road to take on the lowly Coburg Lions who have been perennial VFL easy beats and sitting on one win for the season. Last year, Casey beat them in a practice match when resting their AFL listed players. That’s how bad they were. Nobody respected them on Saturday and clearly not the Demons who came to the game with 22 players (ten MFC), but whether they came out to play is another matter because for the most part, their intensity was lacking an

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Casey Articles

    ALAS SPRINGS by Whispering Jack

    I got the word on Saturday from someone who knows someone inside the Fremantle camp that the Dockers were pumped and supremely confident about getting the W the next day against Melbourne at TIO Traeger Park in the red heart of the country. I was informed that the Dockers were extremely confident for a number of reasons. They had beaten the Demons on their home territory at the MCG at their last two meetings so they didn’t see beating them at Alice Springs as a problem. They belie

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports

    PREGAME: Rd 13 vs Collingwood

    The Demons head back to Melbourne after an embarrassing loss to the Dockers to take on the Magpies at the MCG on Kings Birthday. With a calf injury to Lachie Hunter and Jacob van Rooyen possibly returning from injury who comes in and who goes out?  

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 233

    PODCAST: Rd 12 vs Fremantle

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 3rd June @ 8:30pm. Join George, Binman & I as we dissect the Demons embarrasing loss to Fremantle in Alice Springs. You questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human. Listen & Chat LIVE: ht

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 57

    VOTES: Rd 12 vs Fremantle

    Captain Max Gawn has a considerable lead over reigning champion Christian Petracca in the Demonland Player of the Year Award. Steven May, Alex Neal-Bullen & Jack Viney make up the Top 5. Your votes for the embarrassing loss against the Dockers. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 33

    POSTGAME: Rd 12 vs Fremantle

    The Demons were blown out of the water and were absolutely embarrassing against the Fremantle Dockers in Alice Springs ultimately going down by 92 points and getting bundled out of the Top 8 for the first time since 2020.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 589

    GAMEDAY: Rd 12 vs Fremantle

    It's Game Day and the Demons and the Dockers meet on halfway on neutral territory in the heart of the country in Alice Springs and the Dees need to win to hold onto a place in the Top 4.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 772

    TROUBLE by The Oracle

    Situated roughly in Australia's geographic centre, Alice Springs has for many years been a troubled town suffering from intermittent crime waves, particularly among its younger residents. There was a time a little while ago when things were so bad that some even doubted the annual AFL game in the town would proceed.  Now, the hope is that this Sunday’s Melbourne vs Fremantle encounter will bring joy to the residents of the town and that through the sport and the example of the participants,

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Previews

    Welcome to Demonland: Luker Kentfield

    With the Melbourne Football Club's first pick in the 2024 AFL Mid-Season Draft and pick number 11 overall the Demon's selected Western Australian key forward Luker Kentfield from Subiaco.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 260
  • Tell a friend

    Love Demonland? Tell a friend!
×
×
  • Create New...