28 minutes ago, deelusions from afar said:

Haven't seen much of pre-season training but with the extra bench spot I would think the big Moose (Heath) should get a go. He did ok up forward for the saints last year and at his size can be a good get out kick (hopefully we see less of that with the new game plan but it's always needed from time to time).

If Moose fails to fire, I'd think it would be a mix of AJ or JVR. Surely White needs some years to develop.

Haven't heard of Culley doing any ruck work at training - seems to have come from a random article (maybe not researched) but I stand to be corrected.

What is more interesting for me is that if Moose plays (presumably spending more time forward than in the ruck), and Mihocek plays, surely there's only room for one of JVR, Jeffo and AJ - especially if we have Melksham and Fritsch in the mix. Playing fast football in terms of ball movement will require fast forwards (with lots of repeat efforts) - will be interesting to see who is the preferred option at the end of pre-season.

I completely agree with Kalani needing to develop over the next few years but I thought maybe chucking him straight into the big games will enhance his development even more. Maybe even his agility and speed as a big man can add to our ‘new’ game style.

I’m really hoping that Max “Moose” Heath is ready to fire for the Dees in 2026, he turned 23 in October and is 204cm (6’8”), loves the physicality of the game and should be an upgrade on Rooey and AJ in the ruck. His size and aggression could rattle some back lines if he is ready to go.👍😁

30 minutes ago, DeeZone said:

I’m really hoping that Max “Moose” Heath is ready to fire for the Dees in 2026, he turned 23 in October and is 204cm (6’8”), loves the physicality of the game and should be an upgrade on Rooey and AJ in the ruck. His size and aggression could rattle some back lines if he is ready to go.👍😁

Sad as it is, time passes and sometime in the next few years Big Max will retire and a succession plan must be in place.

Not-quite-so-big Max looks a likely contender, as history has shown Kalani may be another 4-5 years off being ready for the number 1 role.

10 hours ago, deelusions from afar said:

What is more interesting for me is that if Moose plays (presumably spending more time forward than in the ruck), and Mihocek plays, surely there's only room for one of JVR, Jeffo and AJ - especially if we have Melksham and Fritsch in the mix. Playing fast football in terms of ball movement will require fast forwards (with lots of repeat efforts) - will be interesting to see who is the preferred option at the end of pre-season.

No denying his brilliance and outstanding contribution over the last few seasons, but I do wonder if we take a more nuanced approach with Melksham this season to both manage him through the season and give oppertunites to others.

Maybe saving him for bigger games where we need that extra edge and experience, while giving the developing players more games against the lesser sides. I know they say the competition is closer than ever, but there's a big difference between a West Coast, North, Richmond and whatever other teams might slide next season, compared to the top end teams. I really think this season we need to be both blooding players for the future, while remaining competitive and winning every game we can.

18 hours ago, cam.noble1 said:

I completely agree with Kalani needing to develop over the next few years but I thought maybe chucking him straight into the big games will enhance his development even more. Maybe even his agility and speed as a big man can add to our ‘new’ game style.

I don’t see Kalani playing this year or next. I don’t really think we saw anything last year to suggest he is ready made for AFL footy.

Couple of people have mentioned Jai Culley as an occasional ruck chop-out.

Thought I'd mention firstly the coincidence of Jack Silvagni being the same height, and then the chats from Blues fans that he is actually a bigger loss than it would seem. Many blues reckon his terrible injury run and overuse as a hole-plugger has cost the Blues more than a few wins over the last few years, as well as his contract.

Anyway, the main connection is that Silvagni was being used as an undersized ruck stop-gap all over the ground in 2023-24, and actually did that role pretty well. Just 3 hitouts a game, but he was always an option because he already played in all areas of the field.

1 hour ago, Little Goffy said:

Couple of people have mentioned Jai Culley as an occasional ruck chop-out.

Thought I'd mention firstly the coincidence of Jack Silvagni being the same height, and then the chats from Blues fans that he is actually a bigger loss than it would seem. Many blues reckon his terrible injury run and overuse as a hole-plugger has cost the Blues more than a few wins over the last few years, as well as his contract.

Anyway, the main connection is that Silvagni was being used as an undersized ruck stop-gap all over the ground in 2023-24, and actually did that role pretty well. Just 3 hitouts a game, but he was always an option because he already played in all areas of the field.

This is the kind of thinking I can get around. 193cm with good mobility and a reasonable leap. The Jack Silvagni example is a good one.

People sometimes think that being a ruckman is all about physical stature and getting 65 hitouts a game but as with anything there's more to it. Some of the best 'disruptor' rucks barely get any hitouts but they negate the opposition ruck and provide something out of the box for them to contend with.

Even if he was taking 10% of ballups in a match it could make a difference. Sick of seeing JVR take centre bounces and even going back a few years Ben Brown and Petracca doing ruckwork in the forward line wasn't a good look.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by layzie

32 minutes ago, layzie said:

This is the kind of thinking I can get around. 193cm with good mobility and a reasonable leap. The Jack Silvagni example is a good one.

People sometimes think that being a ruckman is all about physical stature and getting 65 hitouts a game but as with anything there's more to it. Some of the best 'disruptor' rucks barely get any hitouts but they negate the opposition ruck and provide something out of the box for them to contend with.

Even if he was taking 10% of ballups in a match it could make a difference. Sick of seeing JVR take centre bounces and even going back a few years Ben Brown and Petracca doing ruckwork in the forward line wasn't a good look.

Jack Watts was another that did that occasional ruck chop-out for us, going back a number of years and from recollection did a reasonable job at it when required also.

If I'm rembering correctly, one of the rule/umpiring changes bought in following the ened of last season was not to wait as long for designated rucks to get to the position for any given stoppage ruck contest around the ground, so even being the relative athletic beast that he is, this may limit Max's ability to get to as many contests, making having other options that can take the contest around the ground even more of a requirement. Further, if one teams main ruck can't make it to a contest, there's also a good chance his direct opposite ruck won't make it there either, meaning it may be two secondary rucks going up against each other as well, potentiall making the life if the likes of Jai in such situations that little bit easier as well.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by Rodney (Balls) Grinter