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Tom Fullarton - back up ruck?

mrnolsy
mrnolsy
in Melbourne Demons

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I'm thinking we would've seen the club drop a video of announcing a club debut for Tom (can't spell Tom wrong surely) by now if he has been selected. Or maybe later.

Edited by Dee Zephyr

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      On 19/07/2024 at 00:33, Dee Zephyr said:

    I'm thinking we would've seen the club drop a video of announcing a club debut for Tom (can't spell Tom wrong surely) by now if he has been selected. Or maybe later.

    Do club's make a fuss about players who have played for another club in the AFL?  Or only for a kid getting his first game in the big time?  In any case, why give that info to the opposition given our  current ruck situation.

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      On 19/07/2024 at 00:56, sue said:

    Do club's make a fuss about players who have played for another club in the AFL?  Or only for a kid getting his first game in the big time?  In any case, why give that info to the opposition given our  current ruck situation.

    Club made a video when Billings was told he would be playing Opening round. McAdam the same. And the squad gets finalized in a few hours anyway, keep Freo guessing for a few hours? No point

    Edited by Dee Zephyr

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      On 19/07/2024 at 01:07, Dee Zephyr said:

    Club made a video when Billings was told he would be playing Opening round. McAdam the same. And the squad gets finalized in a few hours anyway, keep Freo guessing for a few hours? No point

    Thanks, but keeping oppo guessing can make sense even for a few hours because they have to finalise their team at the same time as we do. 

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    Would prefer Tomlinson to Fullerton as another option to hassle, run with an harass Jackson/Darcy. Most likely again teaming with Petty and JVR. 
    Otherwise Laurie to cover Woey as sub, and no change.

    Go Demons! 

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      On 19/07/2024 at 01:39, PaulRB said:


    Otherwise Laurie to cover Woey as sub, and no change.

    Go Demons! 

    I think you have nailed it.

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    Billings in for Woey, Bill, Tomlinson and Tom emergencies. We may never find out if Fullarton is up for it and Woey copped a bad corkey with Casey.

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      On 18/07/2024 at 13:13, layzie said:

    If Fullerton plays this week I'll build you a church.

    You’ve saved bricks layz 😂

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      On 21/07/2024 at 21:03, dazzledavey36 said:

    Well this pretty much explains it. 

     

    Yes - it was pretty unequivocal wasn’t it? Whack! 

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    Losing the hitouts wasn’t the problem. It was not competing when the ball hit the ground that was the problem. 
    Gawn does two things better than any other ruck, he wins his own clearances (he averages 5 a game!), and he takes marks (averages over 5 a game). Those are his elite stats that we cannot replace even if we “win” the hitout stat. 

    Fullarton would therefore have not helped as he neither wins hitouts, clearances nor is a particularly strong contested mark. 
    I hazard a guess that we recruited him as a backup for a tall forward rather than as a ruck backup. 
    It has to be a real priority in 2025 to have at least one ready to go ruck on our list outside of a 33 year old Gawn. 

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      On 21/07/2024 at 21:40, Jaded No More said:

    Losing the hitouts wasn’t the problem. It was not competing when the ball hit the ground that was the problem. 
    Gawn does two things better than any other ruck, he wins his own clearances (he averages 5 a game!), and he takes marks (averages over 5 a game). Those are his elite stats that we cannot replace even if we “win” the hitout stat. 

    Fullarton would therefore have not helped as he neither wins hitouts, clearances nor is a particularly strong contested mark. 
    I hazard a guess that we recruited him as a backup for a tall forward rather than as a ruck backup. 
    It has to be a real priority in 2025 to have at least one ready to go ruck on our list outside of a 33 year old Gawn. 

    I'm baffled as to the recruitment of a back up key fwd over a back up ruck. Verall is very raw and we gave Grundy up very easily

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      On 21/07/2024 at 21:03, dazzledavey36 said:

    Well this pretty much explains it. 

     

    It’s pathetic and amateurish as Grundy was brought in to replace Jackson! Yet now he’s saying this! What’s occurred around our rucks and mid set ups is pathetic! Could have made Grundy work! 

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      On 21/07/2024 at 21:21, 3183 Dee said:

    Yes - it was pretty unequivocal wasn’t it? Whack! 

    A whack alright..

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      On 21/07/2024 at 21:40, Jaded No More said:

    Losing the hitouts wasn’t the problem. It was not competing when the ball hit the ground that was the problem. 
    Gawn does two things better than any other ruck, he wins his own clearances (he averages 5 a game!), and he takes marks (averages over 5 a game). Those are his elite stats that we cannot replace even if we “win” the hitout stat. 

    Fullarton would therefore have not helped as he neither wins hitouts, clearances nor is a particularly strong contested mark. 
    I hazard a guess that we recruited him as a backup for a tall forward rather than as a ruck backup. 
    It has to be a real priority in 2025 to have at least one ready to go ruck on our list outside of a 33 year old Gawn. 

    Recruited specifically as a back up ruck.

     

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    I just don’t see the point in picking up guys like Fullerton and Schache, if they’re not going to play. I get that list spots need to be filled, but surely you would look at proven performers coming to the end of their careers, who could be on call to jump in if needed and, in the meantime, teach the young kids at Casey.
     

    To me, it seems that Schache and Fullarton are not likely to make the first team, so why persist with them? I would rather have a Brayden Preuss type, who at least shows a little appetite for the contest.

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      On 21/07/2024 at 22:15, 3183 Dee said:

    I just don’t see the point in picking up guys like Fullerton and Schache, if they’re not going to play. I get that list spots need to be filled, but surely you would look at proven performers coming to the end of their careers, who could be on call to jump in if needed and, in the meantime, teach the young kids at Casey.
     

    To me, it seems that Schache and Fullarton are not likely to make the first team, so why persist with them? I would rather have a Brayden Preuss type, who at least shows a little appetite for the contest.

    There's a bloke in the vfl called Brayden crossley. Absolute unit in the ruck. Makes fullarton look silly

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      On 21/07/2024 at 22:11, dazzledavey36 said:

    Recruited specifically as a back up ruck.

     

    I understand that this was what Twomey thought, and maybe that is what we thought to, but clearly we were sold a player who is not a ruckman or who needs a LOT of work in order to become one.

    He's played 19 games and he's 24 already. Not really sure that we thought he would be anything other than a complete break glass in case of emergency option this season.

    What I don't get is why we got him, and also kept Schache. 

     

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      On 21/07/2024 at 22:20, kozzyisalegend said:

    There's a bloke in the vfl called Brayden crossley. Absolute unit in the ruck. Makes fullarton look silly

    Get him in we could use him at Casey as well as when Max isn’t available. I remember last year posting that we need to trawl all state leagues for a ready to go ruckman and we picked up Tom, go figger.!!

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      On 21/07/2024 at 22:20, Jaded No More said:

    I understand that this was what Twomey thought, and maybe that is what we thought to, but clearly we were sold a player who is not a ruckman or who needs a LOT of work in order to become one.

    He's played 19 games and he's 24 already. Not really sure that we thought he would be anything other than a complete break glass in case of emergency option this season.

    What I don't get is why we got him, and also kept Schache. 

     

    I think this comes down to due diligence.

    I do agree with you and have been strong on this, even at Brisbane he barely played as a starting ruckman and when he was thrown in there he really wasn't all that good at all playing in that position. 

    I watched the VFL round 2 game against Footscray earlier this year and Fullarton was rucking against a first year rookie in Lachlan Smith from the western Bulldogs who was picked up late in the draft last year. This Smith kid bullied Fullarton in the ruck and easily got a hold of him when it came to ruck duels. 

    Going back on the due diligence part, bit like everyone else, I am very confused by this list management decisions of late and have been highly critical of Tim Lamb.

    I'm sure they had watched him play last year in the VFL, but even they would have seen he played more of a key forward and observed his ruckwork wasn't up to scratch.

    We clearly needed a back up mature ruckman during last year's draft and trade and one of the names I raised was 203cm Brynn Teakle who had just been delisted by Port. He's a genuine pure ruckman and I think he would have been perfect just to have there for moments like the Gawn injury.

    The frustration in all that was he got picked up again by North in this year's mid season draft a few picks after we selected Kentfield and has already played 6 games for them this year as a ready made mature back up ruckman.

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      On 21/07/2024 at 22:15, 3183 Dee said:

    I just don’t see the point in picking up guys like Fullerton and Schache, if they’re not going to play. I get that list spots need to be filled, but surely you would look at proven performers coming to the end of their careers, who could be on call to jump in if needed and, in the meantime, teach the young kids at Casey.
     

    To me, it seems that Schache and Fullarton are not likely to make the first team, so why persist with them? I would rather have a Brayden Preuss type, who at least shows a little appetite for the contest.

    Consider who the trades are  , schache, Fullerton, billing’s, Hunter, macadam , who’s getting a game?? What’s walked Grundy, Harmes, Jordan … I know which ones I’d rather have ..  last 2 years trades equals amateur & disaster 

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      On 21/07/2024 at 22:50, Demonsone said:

    Consider who the trades are  , schache, Fullerton, billing’s, Hunter, macadam , who’s getting a game?? What’s walked Grundy, Harmes, Jordan … I know which ones I’d rather have ..  last 2 years trades equals amateur & disaster 

    Add bedford to the list of players we let go for a pack of twisties

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