I loved that massive tackle he laid minutes into his debut.

On 07/09/2025 at 18:12, dazzledavey36 said:

Looking likely that our ruck options for next year will be Gawn, Campbell, Heath and Kalani White?

Id be hoping Kalani is a long term replacement for Steven May in the style of Harris Andrew. Sam Darcy, Jed Walters are a new breed of tall athletic forwards who are going to dominate for the next decade. We need a tall KPD that can provide options.

With all the rule changes, i think having strong ruck options is a thing of the past. The game is moving away from contest / stoppage to ball movement and scoring from back half. Obviously, we still need to have some balance but i think it shifts the importance away from a team we had from a few years ago to one that is more athletic and ball movement capable.

1 hour ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Campbell signed up for 2026!!!

Surely that’s made it less likely than we would grab Heath

Heath would most likely stay at St Kilda if Marshall goes

I dont think it would stop us moving for him, if the 23rd bench spot is going to be used as the media suggests then he could still sometimes play that way, also 12 months developing his fwd craft possibly even playing as a fwd for us and then campbell would be done and he'd be number 1 (unless dogga returns) better to be second behind gawn than second behind tdk for the next 5 years. and as redleg mentioned dodson has huge wraps and has likely already gone past him. likewise we could see caminiti playing fwd next year given SOS Aleer pairing next to Wilkie and Howard in reserve

I don't mind Campbell as a backup for Gawn, but there is no way that any young, sane ruck prospect receiving good advice would come to Melbourne to sit behind two 34 year olds next year. Playing second ruck at VFL level is not a great way to develop.

We are really making it very difficult to get Gawn's replacement to the club before his body gives up on him.

Campbell has been signed to another one year contract purely as a break glass emergency option. He wouldn't get game time ahead of Health. He'd get a game if Gawn and other options went down injured. He's 34 next year, at his fourth AFL club, and has played a total of 33 AFL matches in the last decade.

If we traded in Heath, then it's because we see him as the potential long term replacement for Gawn.

Those speaking of Kalani White as long term ruck - he projects more as a key position player. He's excelled mostly as a key defender and shown glimpses as a key forward. With all the 200cm key talls around, he fits the modern moulding that.

1 hour ago, poita said:

I don't mind Campbell as a backup for Gawn, but there is no way that any young, sane ruck prospect receiving good advice would come to Melbourne to sit behind two 34 year olds next year. Playing second ruck at VFL level is not a great way to develop.

We are really making it very difficult to get Gawn's replacement to the club before his body gives up on him.

That’s rubbish, it’s perfect timing to come in to learn from the master. Campbell will be 3rd in line not 2nd and Heath has shown he can play forward. The fact there will be no sub next year, will also the enable teams to play 2 rucks

1 hour ago, poita said:

I don't mind Campbell as a backup for Gawn, but there is no way that any young, sane ruck prospect receiving good advice would come to Melbourne to sit behind two 34 year olds next year. Playing second ruck at VFL level is not a great way to develop.

We are really making it very difficult to get Gawn's replacement to the club before his body gives up on him.

Heath’s 22, very few rucks are ready for full time action until 24, by which time Campbell will be gone and Max might be on his last legs, it’s the perfect time to get someone over who’s not quite ready to be a number 1.

They’ll have to manage the VFL minutes better than they have with Verrall. But Verrall wasn’t good enough to demand them.

6 hours ago, GS_1905 said:

Obviously, we still need to have some balance but i think it shifts the importance away from a team we had from a few years ago to one that is more athletic and ball movement capable.

I recall from the podcast (?binman) that we were in fact quite highly ranked for ball movement this year.

There is still a need for someone who can mark in contests around the ground and we have Max who will never be repeated, though another Max ... ??