Retired # 2: Tom Bellchambers - Knocks Cam Mooney the **** out - 24/5

DapperJong

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Well you're not going to get an elite ruck to sit on the list as break glass option (I'm not saying this is what you're suggesting, but there are some around here who expect it)

Not as break glass, no. But Belly hasn't got long left as it is.
 
Not as break glass, no. But Belly hasn't got long left as it is.
Well I think Draper was on track for a relatively smooth transition. The ACL may have thrown a spanner in the works there. Of course well still need to find a ruck to come in behind Draper to act as backup/No. 2 (Assuming Draper works out as expected)

P. Ryder out of contract this year. Go after him with a 2 yr deal. Or is he done and dusted?
He'd be useful for the remainder of this year but not what we'll need for next year (with the possible exception of a month or 2) let alone the year after
 
I feel like our ruck depth was fine, we had Bellchambers, Draper, Daniher, Stewart, Clark and McKernan. If anyone had said at round 1 that all bar 2 were going to suffer season ending injuries they’d be told to stop being so gloomy.

Maybe the conditioning staff have a bit to answer for with some of those injuries but at the end of the day I don’t think you can base list management decisions on the possibility of two thirds of your rucks getting season ending injuries.
 
Sep 22, 2011
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Ruck stocks seems to be the problem that no one wanted to talk about. Now we have to. I think this will have silver lining if we can address the bigger problem.

Head over to the trade thread Dear Leader, we’ve been discussing ruck stocks for weeks.

Cliffs if you can’t be stuffed - We’re getting Paddy back.
 
Probably the one guy we couldn’t afford going down

Was there really no ruck in the mid season draft worth throwing 6 months at?
I would have had a look at Eastland but eh.
 
Probably the one guy we couldn’t afford going down

Was there really no ruck in the mid season draft worth throwing 6 months at?
for a free hit, it surely couldn't have hurt to grab another one.
 

Cold Sober

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I recall mentioning Mumford, would have been perfect fit for us, so now we should chase Ryder.
We had a chance to pick a ruckman at the last draft and we chose a midget didn't we.
 

ghostdog

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This one will bite hard.

Do we go with:
  • Smack as 1st ruck and Hooker forward, bringing in someone like Hartley to play defence?
or
  • Clarke as 1st ruck, play Hooker in defence and Smack forward?
I vote for the first choice. I almost have no doubt Woosh will go with the second choice.

Smack as the ruckman might be the silver lining that was spoken of. He can be very agile. If this causes him to work on his craft and win more taps, maybe he's able to ruck like he's another mid. Not sure about his endurance though.
 

CBombers17

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Big opportunity for Zac. I wasn't overwhelmed with his performances either but I though he showed some good ability at times as well.

I'm actually quite hopeful for the big unit.
 

naraku

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6 weeks for a " strain"?

Well, time for the Smack and Zac show.... And we opted not to take another ruckman after the Snelling pick.
 
Confirmed what we already knew but more detail

“Tom has a high-grade calf tear, it’s of his gastrocnemius (muscle) in the musculotendinous junction.

“The grade of the injury means he’s going to miss six weeks, particularly given Tom’s size. We think he’ll go two weeks without running and then build up from there.
 
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