2nds Ruzza looking good

[HFF]

I hope the club sticks with this kid, unlike many supporters giving up on him.

His talents are exceptional. Good to hear he played well in thw twos.

 

[Football God]

I totally forgot the game was on abc

anyone got stats and highlights?

 

[TradeDraft]

I totally forgot the game was on abc

anyone got stats and highlights?

Highlights will be on CTV and Full Game will be on ABC IVIEW

 

[Football God]

Highlights will be on CTV and Full Game will be on ABC IVIEW

Schweet

 

[gifted1]

the thing people are forgetting is the position we are in as a club. The fact is we are close, what type of player are we missing? besides maybe a line breaking inside mid, i'd say its another marking forward with x factor.
We have great depth we can afford to roll the dice with rusling for another year. Plenty of players ahead of him to retire/delist, lockyer, obree, fraser, presti, cook, corrie, barham.......
It's not so much this year, although its possible, it's for the future, the guy is 23, could possibly give us 5+ years of good football. His shoulder have been ok for 2 years, it's just been niggling problems, calf, hip flexor etc, structurally he's probably in the best shape he's been for years.
Provided his mind is willing, we should keep him.

 

[Stifler's mom]

Lockyer, O'Bree will both retire. 100% guarnateed - Lockyer only played on because he felt the club was close to a premiership at the end of last season. O'Bree's behind Ball, Wellers and Blair now.

Cook and Corrie delisted.

That's four list changes.

When a guy has as much talent as Rus does he's worth the risk for another year.

Agreed. I would add Barham to the delistings before the Rus.

 

[ThePheonix]

With his potential and relative young age, I think anyone who believes Rusling should be delisted must be out of touch with the current trend. Just look at the JPod and there you will see an example of a player who did not make it in his early 20's but still reached the high level of AFL in his later 20s.

 

[favourites]

I think what people have to think about is the man himself. I'm positive the club will stick with him, I'm just not so sure Rus will stick with it if he cops another injury before the end of the year.

 

[knightwheelrqr]

Comments like these are more a lack of patience then anything else. It's only round 16 and our fowardline is hardly settled there is still absolutely room for Rusling to come into the side. Rusling has something that none of our other fowards really have and that is a real weapon to beat defenders. In doing that he creates a target. Rusling has in the past come into the side late in the year and played finals. There is certainly time on his side to break into the side this year. If Rusling plays every game for the rest of the year there is no chance he will be delisted and a very good chance he will be in our senior finals side.

At this stage I'd say even if he does string together a good series of games a comeback into the 1s this year certainly will be difficult.

Dawes has now established himself as a solid forward and a good player to work in combination with Cloke. Then L.Brown is a handy 3rd forward who can also play backup ruck.

Adding Rusling into that mix risks getting too tall. As demonstrated against St Kilda we play better small football up forward with not so many tall targets. With for example the Geelong defence all being geared to take on tall forwardlines with all 185cm+ defenders who all are carrying a fair bit of bulk our best idea is to stay small. Yes Rusling is fast and athletic, but he doesn't bring the same dangerousness around goal that Medhurst/Davis/Didak/Dick do which are hard to match up on for those taller defences because they make the most of the smallest of opportunities and also have some ball winning ability.

Would love to see him back in the side. It would be great reward for effort no doubt. His injuries are not a problem anymore in that nothing he is carrying anymore will have long term baring on him as a player, but it is certainly interesting anyway

 

[Vampire013]

He wont be de-listed.
Some of you guys don't have a clue.
Malthouse rates him in our best 22 and don't be surprised if he somehow ends up in the seniors. He has built up his strength and with his speed he is a weapon. With good delivery, he would be unstoppable.
His ability is not in question.
He just needs to stop kicking black cats.

 

[mattys123]

He just needs to stop kicking black cats.

I heard he likes walking under ladders.

I watched the VFL game this arvo (thankyou HDD recorder) and I was surprised with how well he was moving and he actually looked very good.

Yes he still has a way to go to prove his body can stand up to football, but he doesn't seem to have lost much of his talent, which can happen sometimes when a player misses so much time.

But just one thing to the coaching staff at VFL level, PLAY HIM IN THE FORWARD LINE EVERY WEEK.

 

[shawthing09]

Impatience?

We are talking about a player that has played 17 Games in 5 years. Posts stating he is at risk of being delisted are completely justified imo.

No chance of playing AFL this year.

It's easy to look at stats and as I have mentioned early go with the line of thinking that "he hasn't been playing and so he won't play" the reason he hasn't been playing is injury. Now early on you could make an arguement and I am sure we all held fears that his shoulders where just not up to AFL, In the last couple years he hasn't had any shoulder injuries and has just had some really rotten luck, a fractured check (IIRC) is just bad luck, He did his calf which again is probably just bad luck.

The other thing is people are used to guys who have a lot of problem with injuries having injuries that will effect their performance. Reoccuring knee or hamstring problems which obviously impact a players speed, movement and kicking. Rus hasn't had this so there is no reason to believe that after a couple hit outs he won't be up and going, as has been mentioned his touch actually looked pretty good.

Our fowardline functioned well on the weekend but I still don't see any stability in it and I am sure there will be changes coming and needed leading up into the finals and I am pretty confident that given he stays fit Rusling will be fight up into the mix. I think the 07 finals campaign Rusling regained fitness not long before the end of the season was put into the side late in the year and played finals.

 

[Old Spice]

Don't forget we may lose a player to GC, and obviously Cook, Corrie, and surely at least one older player. I'm pretty certain we'll get our 3-4 easily, but there are others in line before Rusling.

As some others posted, one of our few missing pieces is a key forward option and I've always thought Rus was the best potential tall forward on the list.

Dawes is coming on like a dream, but with Cloke or Dawes leading high up the ground, two big targets in the forward 50 would be a treat.

 

[AsianWithAFro]

He wont be de-listed.
Some of you guys don't have a clue.
Malthouse rates him in our nest 22 and don't be surprised if he somehow ends up in the seniors. He has built up his strength and with his speed he is a weapon. With good delivery, he would be unstoppable.
His ability is not in question.
He just needs to stop kicking black cats.

When the ball hits the deck he does nothing. I still don't think he is in our best 22 no matter what Mick says. People comparing with how JPod is but no one knew how well he would succeed so that argument is invalid.

 

[Optimax]

When the ball hits the deck he does nothing. I still don't think he is in our best 22 no matter what Mick says. People comparing with how JPod is but no one knew how well he would succeed so that argument is invalid.

Most tall leading forwards are poor at ground level, he is generally very good overhead so it's a bit of a who cares point

 

[Thommo 42]

the only reason the ball hits the ground around the Rus is if he drops it, as no defender can go with him on the lead and we shouldn't be bombing it on his head.

 

[The Dawes]

Saw a bit of the first half and was genuinely surpirised at how sharp Rusling looked. His movement and marking were very impressive for a guy who has been out for so long - it was a performance that really gives me hope he may have a role to play for the remainder of this season.... and not just at VFL level.

 

[brockbruiser]

I think it would be unwise to delist Ruz based being injury prone. He certainly has what it takes at AFL level, he simply needs time to capture that form again. He is a real forward weapon, something I think we don't have alot of at collingwood as most of a goal scorers are evened out amongst the side.

If we look at Podsiadly then Ruz certainly has age on his side, and lets face it out premiership window is open. Ruz needs to stay, I would be shattered if he was delisted, as he would surely be picked up by another club in a draft that is going to be watered down thanks to the Gold Coast.

IMO Barham, Cook, Corrie, O'Bree gone at the end of the year.

 

[Jedi01]

It's easy to look at stats and as I have mentioned early go with the line of thinking that "he hasn't been playing and so he won't play" the reason he hasn't been playing is injury. Now early on you could make an arguement and I am sure we all held fears that his shoulders where just not up to AFL, In the last couple years he hasn't had any shoulder injuries and has just had some really rotten luck, a fractured check (IIRC) is just bad luck, He did his calf which again is probably just bad luck.

The other thing is people are used to guys who have a lot of problem with injuries having injuries that will effect their performance. Reoccuring knee or hamstring problems which obviously impact a players speed, movement and kicking. Rus hasn't had this so there is no reason to believe that after a couple hit outs he won't be up and going, as has been mentioned his touch actually looked pretty good.

Our fowardline functioned well on the weekend but I still don't see any stability in it and I am sure there will be changes coming and needed leading up into the finals and I am pretty confident that given he stays fit Rusling will be fight up into the mix. I think the 07 finals campaign Rusling regained fitness not long before the end of the season was put into the side late in the year and played finals.

I agree with most of what you have said, I don't think he should be delisted, like majority of Pies fans I love watching Rus play. 100% happy to give him another few years yet.

However I don't think people mentioning he is at risk of being delisted should be attacked. He cannot survive on 'potential' forever.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

IMO Barham, Cook, Corrie, O'Bree gone at the end of the year.

Presti might go, too, especially if we win a flag. And we are likely to trade one of Anthony, Goldsack or even Fraser.

Barham might get another year.

 

[SaddaZ]

He went hard, looked good. Kicked a goal. Did everything asked of him including not get hurt again. Will not get delisted. Too much talent. Barham and Cook try hard, but just don't have that composed 'touch' of a good AFL footballer. Rusling has this and will keep his job at season's end. Fingers crossed!

 

[MarkT2]

Cloke an Dawes have to be the big forwards we pin our flag hopes on. Unless either is injurred it would be a stupid experiment to play Rusling at the expense of either and one tall too many to play him with both in the very unlikely event that he finds fitness and then form.

Rusling has a small shot at an AFL career and to remain on the list he'd have to remain sound for the rest of the year AND show serious potential as the year closes.

First step is getting through the game and I'm glad he's done that but in my mind if we ever get anything out of him in a finals campaign it will be a bonus.

 

[Pie eyed]

Cloke an Dawes have to be the big forwards we pin our flag hopes on. Unless either is injurred it would be a stupid experiment to play Rusling at the expense of either and one tall too many to play him with both in the very unlikely event that he finds fitness and then form.

Rusling has a small shot at an AFL career and to remain on the list he'd have to remain sound for the rest of the year AND show serious potential as the year closes.

First step is getting through the game and I'm glad he's done that but in my mind if we ever get anything out of him in a finals campaign it will be a bonus.

Agree 100%.

We would not be putting a line through his name though unless he a) struggles with form or b) gets another substantial injury or c) Both.

It has to be remembered that these injuries have been sustained playing for the Collingwood Football Club.

It's not like he slips in the shower a lot or falls off bar stools.
Some tend to treat his injuries as if they are his fault.

 

[mwalker]

Rusling is one of those players whose hype far exceeds his actual talent. Good for him if he can manage to play out the season, but with Anthony unable to get a regular gig Rusling is no chance at all.

just not true. If Rus stays fit he will come into the side (imo). Noone in our forward line has his specific strengths. However if he remains fit and can not get into the side with good form then our fwd line must be functioning very well indeed.

 

[jojonalo]

All that needs to be said about Rusling...
Ask a Swans fan!
Destroyed them in consecutive weeks in 2007.
Love to see him recapture that form!