Opinion Our Rucks. Same story, different year.

[HARKER]

Come January and again we're debating the status of our three ruck-men.

This time last year we had Hampson leaping all over Kreuzer and showing us that he's a definite starter for round 1 and this became the case.

We now have Warnock, fit, stronger than ever, picking up the ball off his toes, running freely, marking the ball at the highest point and out-positioning his fellow ruck-men in contests.

Arguments can again be made for each of them, but how is it all going to work for us this year, if indeed they can all stay injury free?

 

[Stig O'Hara]

Krooz is number one.

This is a footballer you don't get everyday, he loves the challenge, wants the contest, and he's got smarts well ahead of his age.

He's something else.

 

[Claypigeon]

Krooz is number one.

If he gets crook, let the other boys have a run.

A fit number 8 as first ruck, is dreamworld.

Agree with this. .. Hammer seems to have the second ruck spot to lose too. .. Surely we cannot play all three even if Malthouse likes a taller side. ..

 

[Stig O'Hara]

He loves chasing pigskin, did his knee a year and and half ago, tape him up, and he keeps on keeping on.

The other 2 Warnock and Hampson, you can't get a season between them.

But Number 8 kids, he's the one.

 

[King of Ruin]

Really looking forward to seeing more of 206 out there. Potentially could have a massive, massive year in 2013. Headaches for selectors most weeks I reckon.

 

[SBYM]

Really looking forward to seeing more of 206 out there. Potentially could have a massive, massive year in 2013. Headaches for selectors most weeks I reckon.

May not mean much, but one of the main things I took from training last week was how well Robbie was getting around the ground. I'm a massive fan and can't remember him ever moving so smoothly. I haven't got an answer to the OP, but I reckon it's a fair bet to say Hammer has got a pretty significant battle on his hands...can only be good...

 

[bradrowe#32]

Agree with this. .. Hammer seems to have the second ruck spot to lose too. .. Surely we cannot play all three even if Malthouse likes a taller side. ..

Malthouse might not play any of them! He doesn't particularly rate ruckmen for some odd reason. Three solid rucks is a great problem to have, one I'm envious of.

 

[Bluejob]

As you said Harker;

Hampson against NicNat types
Warnock against Sandilands types
Kreuzer against probably most others.

If they were all to be fit and healthy, unlikely, than atleast 2013 lets them really define what they can do and where they can play. Hammer could even be a genuine fwd target if Waite gets injured out (also likely). Then we can have Levi as a CHF and Kreuz a resting ruck/fwd/mid/back/bench/waterboy while 206 does the ruckwork.

 

[Jock]

K will have a better year than last due to being fully over his knee and having an uninterrupted pre season.
Hampson will do plenty of flashy stuff but let us down when it matters. Nothing will change, 6 seasons of evidence. He's not a forward either, drops too many marks and the opposition runs off him way too easily. No doubt plenty will bang on about his potential like he's 3rd year player.
Warnock is the great unknown, he has only had one good run where he was fit and firing and he played some pretty good footy in that period and we looked a better side for it. He is the second ruck man if he can keep fit by some way. It's a big if though.

 

[Claypigeon]

Malthouse might not play any of them! He doesn't particularly rate ruckmen for some odd reason. Three solid rucks is a great problem to have, one I'm envious of.

I always saw it that your list lacked ruckman of any calibre. .. Hence he had to rely on enlisting Jolly to carry the load on one leg. ..

 

[le dominateur]

Warnock & Kreuzer to share the ruckwork with Kreuzer to have time in the forward line, Warnock to have his spells mainly only the bench. Hampson to improve his game in the VFL and push for selection as a ruck/forward when the opportunity arises.

 

[gbatman]

very tough one.
Hampson - reasonable ruckman, ok but not great around the ground, can play as a forward. Strength, can go forward.
Kreuzer - fairly good ruckman, good around the midfield, not a good contested mark or forward. Strength, contribution around the ground.
Warnock - Good tap ruckman, ok around the ground, not a great contested mark or forward. Strength, tap work.

Will be interesting to see which player gets the nod as number 1 ruck. Can see Hampson playing with either Warnock or Kreuzer as he can go forward but I struggle to see Warnock and Kreuzer in the same side as neither offer much as a forward. Who is selected as number 1 ruck will likely come down to fittness and maybe Kreuzer and Warnock will be rotated heavily from week to week, in and out of the side as both have a fair history of injury issues. I think Kreuzer might be ahead of Warnock if both are fully fit but that is not something I am sure of.

What will make it interesting is if one of our big boys adds another string to their bows. For example, if Kreuzer or Warnock start taking marks up forward and become much more capable of contested marking. This would give us a massive weapon if this was to happen, not that Hampson and one of the other two doesn't already.

 

[LanceRomance]

K will have a better year than last due to being fully over his knee and having an uninterrupted pre season.

I am concerned that the blues pushed him too hard last year and feel that it may have repercussions this year.

He missed the start of preseason, didn't he?

 

[Monkey King]

As you said Harker;

Hampson against NicNat types
Warnock against Sandilands types
Kreuzer against probably most others.

It's this kind of thinking that lost us Jacobs; we'd drop the in-form ruckman just because we were going to Subi and there were perceptions he lacked athleticism. I don't think it's a great confidence building policy for the players myself. And since then, Jacobs just takes first ruck at the Crows and puts in an All Australian quality season. I reckon we go with the best performed ruck and back him in against all opponents, on all grounds.

 

[JustaBattler]

Kreuzer doesn't choke - ever. His kicking will be better because his knee will be better how quickly we forget what a good set shot he used to be - and he can take a pack mark. He is arguably our best around contested congested areas and has a huge footy brain - #1 by a long way when fit.

Warnock looked really good running around in training - I spent a lot of time watching him - he seems to be free of injury for the first time and has bulked up in the shoulders and is moving freely and marking well. Hampson showed glimpses of great form before he got injured last year.

Kreuzer and Warnock are first choices at this stage I'd reckon.

 

[Jeremias]

This is an exceptionally tough question to answer, pne I don't think can be properly answered at least until we've seen the boys perform on game day. At this stage we are most certainly all guessing, and my guess is that not even the coaching staff are convinced of which way to go, just yet.

All three of Warnock, Hampson and Kreuzer have performed well at AFL level in the past and have legitimate claims to being included in the 22 that take the field in any given round.

The major issue with our options is that all are injury prone and none have been able to stay fit for an entire season. Of course I hope things to change in this regard heading forward but I feel that your question may well be answered by injuries. Hopefully not though as if we manage to have all three fit and firing throughout the season we'll be in a fantastic position, and we'll have a luxury which well and truly deserted us in 2012.

I'm not yet set on our best structure and whether that includes one, two or three of the ruckmen in the senior side. I suspect that all of these scenarios will be tested, particularly throughout the preseason competition as we try to put the game plan into motion and find the best structure and playing personnel to fit his plans.

One ruck: Has to be Kreuzer as I just can't justify leaving him out of the side. Would need someone as a chop-out to give him a rest throughout the game and I would think Casboult is that player. Showed great signs up forward in the second half of 2012 but also showed that he is absolutely a competent backup ruck.

Two ruck: Given that I think Kreuzer is far and away our best option in the ruck, for mine the choice here comes down to Kreuzer/Hampson or Kreuzer/Warnock. If we are to compare Hampson and Warnock, I'd have Warnock the better in the ruck (although Hampson is certainly no slouch in the middle of the ground) and Hampson clearly the better forward. Head to head, Hampson gets the nod for mine as in this day and age I don't think you can carry a ruck who doesn't have an impact around the ground. In this setup you'd probably have to have 3 tall forwards as whilst he's damaging when he drifts into the forward line, I don't consider Kreuzer effective enough as a key position forward. If we go down that path the three talls would most likely be Waite, Casboult and the resting ruck.

Three ruck: No doubt this will be tried but I just don't see it working. With rotations at a premium I don't think we can afford to have a ruckman sitting on the bench for periods of time, which is what would likely eventuate in this situation. I don't think we can have all three of Hampson, Kreuzer and Warnock in the 22 at the same time, and I certainly don't think all three can be on the field together. If we have all three in the side we likely give an advantage to the opposition who will have that one extra 'runner' over us and will likely run us off our feet. I really can't see it working, and no doubt this is my least preferred option.

It will certainly be interesting to see how this all pans out over the coming months. I've been fairly certain in stating that I'd prefer us to go into games with two ruckmen, and that my preferred partnership for that particular setup is Kreuzer and Hampson. However all the talk at the moment is about Warnock and how he's really reaping the rewards from his first injury-free preseason in god knows how long, so at this stage it looks likely he's going to be given a go. Does that mean we go with the three of them in the team at once, or does it mean Hampson gets pushed down the pecking order for the time being? As I said earlier, nobody really knows and that may well include the coaching staff.

 

[coryne]

Does Casboult need to be included in this discussion ??? He is, at best, a servicable ruckman but he is probably the best forward option of the 4. Will he be looked at as a possible forward/ruck option, or purely as a forward ???


Could we see something crazy and have Kreuzer playing on a wing as a link-up player? He has great endurance and physicality, so he isn't out of place in a midfield competition once the ball hits the deck. Could we have Warnock as out centre-bounce ruckman, with Kreuzer taking the majority of the ruck work around the ground? Could we have both at a contest, with one coming over the other depending on the circumstance?

I know, some crazy/stupid ideas there, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I could see Kreuzer, Warnock and Casboult starting rd 1 with Warnock playing as the primary ruckman, Kreuzer on the wing taking ruck contests around the ground and pushing forward and Casboult playing deep in the goal square as a marking forward. Not sure if it will make us too top heavy, esp with Waite in the side too, but all the boys are fairly athletic esp Kreuzer who plays as much as a tall mid as he does a ruckman at times (which is his real strength)

 

[SpaceCow]

So, like, is Kreuzer being primed for CHB or what?

 

[The_Wookie]

I think we'll see Kreuzer handling the ruck work for 80% of matches. Hampson forward and relieving in the ruck. Warnock waiting to relieve either as needed. This is roughly the same modus operandi that Malthouse used with Jolly/Wood at Collingwood - while still playing Cloke and that other clown up forward.

 

[Jeremias]

Does Casboult need to be included in this discussion ??? He is, at best, a servicable ruckman but he is probably the best forward option of the 4. Will he be looked at as a possible forward/ruck option, or purely as a forward ???

Casboult deserves mention but he's not a central figure in this discussion. He's most certainly a viable option as a part-time ruck but he's no full time ruckman and won't be viewed as such unless we encounter circumstances which unfortunately we saw during 2012, whereby he's the only option we have available.

As per my above post, I can see him featuring quite heavily if we decide to go down the path of playing just one recognized ruck. In that scenario we'd need a part time ruck/forward to act as the relief ruckman, and Casboult would likely be the preferred option for that role. However with three genuine first ruck options available it would seem unlikely that we'll go down that path.

Far more likely I think is that we'll go with two recognized ruck options. If that is to eventuate I think there's certainly still room for an extra tall, particularly a tall forward and if that's the case then Levi would well and truly be in contention. A forward line with Waite, Casboult and one of Hampson/Kreuzer/Warnock is tall but I don't believe it's too tall or not workable. In fact I think that's probably the perfect mix of talls for the forward line, plus the two small forwards in Eddie and Garlett, and a medium sized player be it Walker or a midfielder.

I can't see Casboult getting a look in if we decide to go with the three rucks. Quite simply we'd be far too top heavy to accomodate Levi in the side. I really hope we don't go down that path as I can see teams overpowering us late in the game as we tire and they benefit from having the extra running player.

 

[T2B_]

Kreuzer is an absolute workhorse. And I don't mean that in a way to denigrate his talent or anything. He's got obvious footy smarts and talent, but as we've seen he has to basically be medically incapable of taking the field to stop him; he'll keep pushing himself to every contest no matter how knackered he is and will run all day. Has a heart as big as Pharlap.

Not only that but he seems to relish it. So I'd say try to plant him there as #1 ruck and let him run around and do what he does and fit the other two in around him, one up forward (probably Hammer) and the other to give Kreuz spells in the ruck, or even rotate those two in their roles.

 

[FlowersByIrene]

This is Krooz's year

If he can stay fit through this pre season we will be welcoming the genesis of a superstar
I don't throw this around a lot - because the man im comparing him to is a GOAT - but Krooz is very Cox like, a healthy knee and we could hopefully see a decade of domination by the big man


- god forbid he could even be better than Cox - certainly has the better disposal to date, if Krrooz can stay fit - a champion will be forged

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

Kreuzer has better disposal than Cox?

Yeah nah.

 

[SBYM]

Kreuzer is an absolute workhorse. And I don't mean that in a way to denigrate his talent or anything. He's got obvious footy smarts and talent, but as we've seen he has to basically be medically incapable of taking the field to stop him; he'll keep pushing himself to every contest no matter how knackered he is and will run all day. Has a heart as big as Pharlap.

Not only that but he seems to relish it. So I'd say try to plant him there as #1 ruck and let him run around and do what he does and fit the other two in around him, one up forward (probably Hammer) and the other to give Kreuz spells in the ruck, or even rotate those two in their roles.

...I had a feeling as soon as I started reading your post this would be in there. Love it, and it could not be more fitting for the big fella. Would literally run until he dropped for the jumper...

ps. Anyone remember the 'Heart as big as Pharlap' skit by Martin and Molloy? Kieren Perkins was in there as well. Funny shit.

 

[FlowersByIrene]

Kreuzer has better disposal than Cox?

Yeah nah.

YOu don't think so?
Cox doesnt kick much these days anyway
has all his little short people running past him to handball too


Cox is a beast though, one of the best ruckman of all time