Barry Bacon
Debutant
No ruck for Goodes
1:36:14 PM Tue 15 February, 2005
Paul Gough
Sportal
Sydney coach Paul Roos has ruled out returning 2003 Brownlow Medalist Adam Goodes to ruck duties despite the change in ruck rules for this season.
Goodes was one of many ruckman to suffer a posterior cruciate knee injury last season when he was injured from a clash of knees at the opening bounce against West Coast in round eight.
But after much debate over the welfare of ruckmen, the AFL has this year decided to limit the run-up of the big men for all centre bounce contests to 10 metres - thus limiting the speed at which ruckmen collide and lessening the impact of knee on knee collisions.
However Roos, speaking ahead of his team's opening Wizard Home Loans Cup clash against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, said despite the rule change Goodes would still be kept away from ruck duties in 2005.
"He won’t ruck, I wouldn’t think," Roos said.
"We've got (Darren) Jolly (from Melbourne) in the club now and (Stephen) Doyle who is as fit as he has been since I have been there and (Jason) Ball, who is a quality ruckman as well."
With so many options, Roos said there was no need to risk one of the club's most valuable players in ruck contests this year.
"I would expect to play Goodes at centre-half-back early in the season and just settle him down a bit," he said.
"He is the sort of player who is hard to put a tag on because he is such a great athlete."
"I don't know where we will play him ultimately but I would like to settle him down a bit (in one position) but he won't be playing much in the ruck."
1:36:14 PM Tue 15 February, 2005
Paul Gough
Sportal
Sydney coach Paul Roos has ruled out returning 2003 Brownlow Medalist Adam Goodes to ruck duties despite the change in ruck rules for this season.
Goodes was one of many ruckman to suffer a posterior cruciate knee injury last season when he was injured from a clash of knees at the opening bounce against West Coast in round eight.
But after much debate over the welfare of ruckmen, the AFL has this year decided to limit the run-up of the big men for all centre bounce contests to 10 metres - thus limiting the speed at which ruckmen collide and lessening the impact of knee on knee collisions.
However Roos, speaking ahead of his team's opening Wizard Home Loans Cup clash against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, said despite the rule change Goodes would still be kept away from ruck duties in 2005.
"He won’t ruck, I wouldn’t think," Roos said.
"We've got (Darren) Jolly (from Melbourne) in the club now and (Stephen) Doyle who is as fit as he has been since I have been there and (Jason) Ball, who is a quality ruckman as well."
With so many options, Roos said there was no need to risk one of the club's most valuable players in ruck contests this year.
"I would expect to play Goodes at centre-half-back early in the season and just settle him down a bit," he said.
"He is the sort of player who is hard to put a tag on because he is such a great athlete."
"I don't know where we will play him ultimately but I would like to settle him down a bit (in one position) but he won't be playing much in the ruck."
