Rucks in the draft

[Styxx]

.... To the De Konning thread!

 

[DIG]

It seems to me we need to look at another ruckman (or maybe pinch hitting ruckman) in the draft. I think we would all agree that none of them are worth pick 3 and in my view pick 10 is too early also although some might rate Hayes that highly. Hayes I would certainly take at 30 if he were still around but I can’t see him sliding that far. There is no other uck I would look at for pick 30, though some might suggest Crossley (who is a beast which offers a point of difference to what we have) or Coleman-Jones, either of whom I grab at 73 if they were still around, likewise Haydn McLean although he is more a forward who can have a run in the ruck but at 196cm not going to be primarily a ruckman. There are a number of others who , if those guys were gone, might be considered as a late draft pick, but more likely rookie (or in some cases PSD) such as (in at least roughly my order of preference) Reeves (who at 208cm offers a point of difference to what we already have) and Griffiths (another beast) from the Chargers, Amartey (athletic ru/fwd maybe more forward at VFL given 196/84), Xerri, De Koning, Meek (another big unit), all from TAC cup, Jones (mature) and Miller from the West or Kreuger from SA or Lachlan Keeffe from the Pies, although we probably would prefer a Key Forward / ruck rather than a Key Defender/Ruck which seems to be more Keeffe’s go. If by any chance all of those guys were gone there a few guys I’d consider to rookie but only as rookies – Strachan from Essendon VFL (mature traditional ruck) and Redhead from WA (athletic quick code-hopper, intriguing possibilities but very new to the game) probably at the head of that queue but also names like West, Hollenkemp, Olango, Patterson, Richards, Sweet or (if only for the name alone) Zerk-Thatcher show signs that would warrant a spot for a team that wants to rookie a ruckman – which may well be us if we don’t grab someone earlier.


What type of ruckman do we want to go for? I’d like to see one that has a genuine prospect of being able to rest forward and otherwise has a point of difference to what we have – whether that be athleticism, height or physicality.



Hayes, Sam

Pick 30 (prob gone)

Size 203/93

From Eastern Ranges

Plays Ru/Fwd

Comment All-round footballer

Crossley, Brayden

73 (prob gone)

198/101

Gold Coast Academy

Ruck can go fwd

Mumford like beast

Coleman-Jones, Callum

73 (prob gone)

201/99

Sturt

Ruckman/fwd

Good leap, sloppy kck

McLean, Hayden

73 (prob gone)

196/83

Sandringham Dragons

Fwd can ruck

Hits packs hard

Reeves, Ned

Late/rookie

208/95

Oakleigh Chargers

Ruck can go fwd

Height a difference

Griffiths,Bailey

Late/rookie

201/96

Oakleigh Chargers

Ruck

Project beast

Amartey, Joel

Late/rookie

196/85

Sandringham Dragons

Fwd/ruck

Athletic codehopper

Xerri, Tristan

Late/rookie

202/96

Western Jets

Ru/fwd

Athletic & good mark

De Koning, Tom

Late/rookie

200/90

Dandenong Stingrays

Fwd/ru

Good skills

Meek, Lloyd

Late/rookie

202/106

GWVRebels

Ru/fwd

Big body

Jones, Scott

Late/rookie

204/112

E Perth

Ruck

Mature

Miller, Ben

Late/rookie

196/93

Subiaco

KPU can ruck

Skilled athletic util

Kreuger, Nathan

Late/rookie

196/89

Sth Adelaide

KPU or follower

Athletic but raw

Keeffe, Lachlan

Late/rookie

204/101

Collingwood

KPU esp def and ruck

AFL experience

Strachan, Kieran

Rookie

203/92

Ess VFL

Ruck/forward

Mature skilled.

Redhead, Aaron

Rookie

204/90

E Perth

Ru/fwd

Athleitc v qk & v raw

You were bang on the money, called us drafting a ruck/forward at 30 or later and we did, just not the one anyone expected.