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2025 Rolling ALL-Australian Team

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harper2bastinac said:
I don’t know what game you’re watching, and I wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t watching our game earlier, but xerri was easily best on ground today
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I watched most of the second half.

Admittedly, I seemingly have a different view as to what I want in a ruckman to most. Xerri is a beast who excels at tackling and clearances. There's not a lot of science to his clearances but he does get the footy moving.

I like ruckmen who can take towering marks. Marks down the line from a bail out kick, intercept marks in defence, marks in the forward-line, just marks. Both contested and uncontested.

Last century it was Dempsey or Len Thompson, among others, and now it might be a Darcy Cameron or Gawn. But they've got to be somewhat athletic and mark. Xerri is a very limited player. He's taken 19 marks from 12 games. It just doesn't cut it. Others obviously don't expect the All Australian ruckman to mark.
 
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Trav 20 said:
I watched most of the second half.

Admittedly, I seemingly have a different view as to what I want in a ruckman to most. Xerri is a beast who excels at tackling and clearances. There's not a lot of science to his clearances but he does get the footy moving.

I like ruckmen who can take towering marks. Marks down the line from a bail out kick, intercept marks in defence, marks in the forward-line, just marks. Both contested and uncontested.

Last century it was Dempsey or Len Thompson, among others, and now it might be a Darcy Cameron or Gawn. But they've got to be somewhat athletic and mark. Xerri is a very limited player. He's taken 19 marks from 12 games. It just doesn't cut it. Others obviously don't expect the All Australian ruckman to mark.
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I agree with you on Xerri, statistically he’s the number one ruck but I don’t think his impact on the game is that significant. I would add to that though that I dont think rucks in general are that impactful.

Xerri’s biggest strength is his clearance work and his tackling. However, most of the top teams now are less concerned with winning the raw clearance battle, and much more concerned with the quality of clearances, and then being able to win the ball around the ground. I think if you looked at most of his clearances, either those he’s won or sits up with his tap work, there is much less quality then compared to the likes of Gawn, Marshall and Witts. As a side note, I think TDK is often guilty of this as well.

His tackling and follow up at clearances has value, in that he makes it difficult for opposition to exit the front of stoppages where most scores come from, but I think there are a number of rucks who are effective at doing that, e.g. ROB, Nank, Grundy, even Blicavs when he plays there.

I agree with you that the thing that separates rucks and their influence I feel is their marking around the ground, which is an area Xerri is really poor at. It’s where Gawn is so valuable. He becomes both an extra intercept defender, as well as essentially another key forward to press up the ground as a marking option.

Personally I’d only pick one ruck in my AA side and at this stage it has to be Gawn over Xerri.
 
Trav 20 said:
Xerri is such a scrubber. Nearing 3/4 time, no marks and a hopeless ''clearance'' a direct turnover for a goal.
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Only the 10 votes incoming then..

Was easily the best on the ground.

I just don’t think you have a very good grasp of the game tbh.

Speaking of hopeless direct turnovers for goals, expecting a balanced response…
 
Sphynx said:
Only the 10 votes incoming then..

Was easily the best on the ground.

I just don’t think you have a very good grasp of the game tbh.

Speaking of hopeless direct turnovers for goals, expecting a balanced response…
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I don't laud ruck clearances. Never have never will. All ruckmen provide shocking turnovers, especially from their crap clearances.

Gawn has taken 50% more contested marks than Xerri has taken general marks. Let that sink in for a moment.

If you're a ruck who doesn't take marks you're as useless as **** on a bull. Clarko and Kingggeee can wank away over his tackles and crap clearances all they likes.
 
Trav 20 said:
Gawn has taken 50% more contested marks than Xerri has taken general marks. Let that sink in for a moment.
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Do you think there's value in preventing contested marks? Xerri doesn't take a heap of marks, in part due to Clarkson's possession gamestyle, but he also rarely gets outmarked.

Gawn has only taken two against him.in the last two match ups, for example.
 
DocSholl said:
Do you think there's value in preventing contested marks? Xerri doesn't take a heap of marks, in part due to Clarkson's possession gamestyle, but he also rarely gets outmarked.

Gawn has only taken two against him.in the last two match ups, for example.
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He doesn't take a heap of marks because he's an unathletic scrubber.

That said, he's a beast and effective at stoppages.

For me, you want a far more rounded ruckman. But look, his one wood is good.
 
Trav 20 said:
He doesn't take a heap of marks because he's an unathletic scrubber.

That said, he's a beast and effective at stoppages.

For me, you want a far more rounded ruckman. But look, his one wood is good.
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Fair enough. He'll be leading the coaches votes (or be second to Dawson) after this weekend so coaches obviously think he's.impactful, even if you don't
 
Trav 20 said:
I don't laud ruck clearances. Never have never will. All ruckmen provide shocking turnovers, especially from their crap clearances.

Gawn has taken 50% more contested marks than Xerri has taken general marks. Let that sink in for a moment.

If you're a ruck who doesn't take marks you're as useless as **** on a bull. Clarko and Kingggeee can wank away over his tackles and crap clearances all they likes.
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During his 07-11 time with us Brad Ottens averaged between 3-4 marks a game most of the time - little more than 1.5 marks a game more than Xerri (and Ottens wasn’t as good a clearance player etc).

Not only was he not ‘useless as **** on a bull’ he was arguably the most consistently important player we had in each finals campaign across those five years.
 

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Trav 20 said:
I don't laud ruck clearances. Never have never will. All ruckmen provide shocking turnovers, especially from their crap clearances.

Gawn has taken 50% more contested marks than Xerri has taken general marks. Let that sink in for a moment.

If you're a ruck who doesn't take marks you're as useless as **** on a bull. Clarko and Kingggeee can wank away over his tackles and crap clearances all they likes.
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Unfortunately with that last minute howler, Xerri takes the lead.
 
PhatBoy said:
During his 07-11 time with us Brad Ottens averaged between 3-4 marks a game most of the time - little more than 1.5 marks a game more than Xerri (and Ottens wasn’t as good a clearance player etc).

Not only was he not ‘useless as **** on a bull’ he was arguably the most consistently important player we had in each finals campaign across those five years.
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Thanks for the history lesson.

This is the 2025 AA thread.
 
Goals and Assists Round 13:

1. Jeremy Cameron 53 (38/15)
2. Jamie Elliott 44 (34/10)
3. Riley Thilthorpe 42 (28/14)
4. Ben King 38 (33/5)/Jack Higgins (29/9)
6. Jesse Hogan 37 (32/5)/Darcy Fogarty (28/9)/Jack Gunston (26/11)/Josh Rachele (23/14)
10. Mabior Chol 33 (24/9)/Ed Richards (11/22)
 

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Chronz said:
It's these small moments that will help separate the two. Not much forethought from a biased midwit like you as expected. :$
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No, it's hitouts, total disposals, marks, contested marks, effective disposals, intercepts, etc., not these small moments that determine the best ruck in the game.

For example Gawn has taken 70 marks to 19 from one more game.

I call that a big moment. I'll let you worry about the small ones.
 
Trav 20 said:
No, it's hitouts, total disposals, marks, contested marks, effective disposals, intercepts, etc., not these small moments that determine the best ruck in the game.

For example Gawn has taken 70 marks to 19 from one more game.

I call that a big moment. I'll let you worry about the small ones.
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I think we need to start talking about Gawn in the conversation as the best Ruckman of all time. I saw Nicholls, Farmer, Thompson, Madden, Dempsey and Cox. Never thought I would see better than Farmer. Gee Maxy is closing fast.
 

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