Ruzza

[magpies42]

Rusling: sights set on 2006
11:52:37 AM Mon 31 October, 2005
Clinton bown
exclusive to collingwoodfc.com.au
Speaking with CollingwoodTV reporter Clinton Bown in Flagstaff, USA, Sean Rusling is confident the Pies will have a strike force to be reckoned with in 2006.

Shouldering much of the key forward responsibility throughout the middle of season 2005, Rusling is delighted to be eyeing a different role for 2006, with the return of Anthony Rocca and a fully fit Chris Tarrant.

Rusling, who missed the final four rounds of last season with a broken collarbone following a heavy clash against the Saints in round 17, has bulked up, adding a further 6kg to his 189cm frame.

The young forward has been enjoying his second pre-season with the Magpies. A champion sprinter in his school days, he savours the hard work, and has enjoyed the challenges that high altitude training has brought.


“It’s been a pretty hard week first up. When I first got to the club last year they went a bit easier on me but this year has been full on. It’s solid but I’m enjoying it.”

A fully fit Collingwood forward line in 2006 reads like a ‘best-seller’ on paper. However, as Rusling knows only too well, injury is just another part of football, but he is confident that the Pies will come into 2006 in the strongest possible position. This, Rusling hopes, will allow the young gun to explore new positions.

“I won’t be playing so much as a focus in the forward line this year – hoping that we don’t get any injuries. I’m looking at more of a half forward flank with a bit more freedom next season.

“I’d be very happy to get a spot in that forward line. With Tarrant, Rocca, Didak Caracella... – if everyone is fit and running well we will be very hard to stop up there. I’d just be happy to get a guernsey up there somewhere.

“I suppose by the way I’m built I want to play more like Taz - and I’ve learnt a lot from him. I played on him in a trial game last year and I leant a lot that day. He kicked a lot of goals on me. And Pebs (Rocca) gives me a lot of advice on body positioning and things like that.
“(However) the position they want me to play in the future is more of a key position, so I need to put on a bit of weight for that.”





I thought this article on the collingwood website was of particular interest given that alot of people have earmarked ruzza as a future midfielder/winger. Seems like they are fattening him up to take a kpp, so does that mean taz is out of the forward line and into the middle?! Given that they are fairly similar players.

I dont think he is tall enough to be a kpp backmen which is what we need?

 

[Lockyer24]

I think the kid can be a fitter, faster, Jason Dunstall type.

Acceleration on the lead and stickies is his strengths. Lets just hope he can bulk up and learn to kick nice and straight.

 

[bren_gc]

I think the kid can be a fitter, faster, Jason Dunstall type.

Thats an interesting call. The more i think about it, there more i agree too. I also think by looking at his size in his first year, he definately has the natural build that will allow for considerable bulking up.

 

[RuZZa#28]

I think the kid can be a fitter, faster, Jason Dunstall type.

Acceleration on the lead and stickies is his strengths. Lets just hope he can bulk up and learn to kick nice and straight.

FASTER? you've got to be joking me mate!!!!
He ran 400 metres in 50.1 seconds and 100 metres in 10.8 seconds.
Btw Jason Dunstall wouldnt have got close to that

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

How about we don't start comparing a second year kid to one of the greatest goalkickers of all time?

 

[Jabso]

I think Locks meant a Dunstall-type forward. Dunstall was extremely quick on the lead and a great mark but wasn't the tallest full forward going around.

 

[johnson_26]

he looks a very good prosep[ct to me,, a gamble pick/ normal pick we got right for once.. The kid is so versatile,, he will be able to play midfield and in a kpp,,, they ahve to be carefull,, not to get him to big,, id l;ove to see him in the mid for us with that pace,, he looks liek an exceptional talent, and hopefully be able to play more up the ground as his future conitinues tog row

 

[magpies42]

he looks a very good prosep[ct to me,, a gamble pick/ normal pick we got right for once.. The kid is so versatile,, he will be able to play midfield and in a kpp,,, they ahve to be carefull,, not to get him to big,, id l;ove to see him in the mid for us with that pace,, he looks liek an exceptional talent, and hopefully be able to play more up the ground as his future conitinues tog row

yeah that is what i am worried about, them turning him into a irreversible kpp! we dont need kpp forwards!(unless some of our existing ones can play down back eg c3) he needs to be made into what is best for the team

 

[g-man]

he could turn out to be a very good player but i would prefer him to play wing/hff instead of key position,with his athletic ability i'd hate to see him confined to the goal square same goes for tazza. think hf line of rusling,travis & tazza with their ability to run & open up space for rocca out of square would look really dangerous.

 

[johnson_26]

just think lads,, a 189 cm wingman/ hff, centreman that can run otua agme of footy on the ball, get 20 touches or so and is a smooth mover. 189 cm and a mid,, thats gold,,, not syaing it,, but judesque (187 and runs liek the wind)

 

[magpies42]

just think lads,, a 189 cm wingman/ hff, centreman that can run otua agme of footy on the ball, get 20 touches or so and is a smooth mover. 189 cm and a mid,, thats gold,,, not syaing it,, but judesque (187 and runs liek the wind)

i havent seen anything in the boy that indicates he is judesque except maybe the speed! judd has a tonne of other qualities that ruzza doesnt have or has not shown as yet
eg. vision, skill by foot and by hand,courage and a footy brain the size of einsteins!

we know he is athletic, but we dont really know much else! we dont know if he can kick (there is a definite query over his goal kicking), or whether he has vision or a footy brain or if he has courage! he has shown us nothing but hsi speed as yet! athelete's dont necesarily make good footballers.

 

[jerry springer]

How about we don't start comparing a second year kid to one of the greatest goalkickers of all time?

I second that.its getting the silly season a bit,we need to remember that we barely missed the wooden spoon this year and not all our youngsters are the second coming of Christ

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

we know he is athletic, but we dont really know much else! we dont know if he can kick (there is a definite query over his goal kicking), or whether he has vision or a footy brain or if he has courage! he has shown us nothing but hsi speed as yet! athelete's dont necesarily make good footballers.

His kicking looked fine to me.

Missed a couple in that Port game, but they weren't easy shots.

His courage? He did his shoulder putting his body on the line in the St Kilda...

People act like he's never played footy before. He's quick, yes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know the game. He was just relatively unknown because he only played one game of SANFL reserves outside of school footy, and SA footy players are notorious for being the hardest to get information about.

 

[FIGJAM]

i havent seen anything in the boy that indicates he is judesque except maybe the speed! judd has a tonne of other qualities that ruzza doesnt have or has not shown as yet
eg. vision, skill by foot and by hand,courage and a footy brain the size of einsteins!

we know he is athletic, but we dont really know much else! we dont know if he can kick (there is a definite query over his goal kicking), or whether he has vision or a footy brain or if he has courage! he has shown us nothing but hsi speed as yet! athelete's dont necesarily make good footballers.

Sheesh Judd can be overrated! He's a burst inside midfielder who wins a fair bit of it, but can disappear fairly easily as well. He's lightening fast in the first three steps and knows where to run. He's got a big kick, but he's definitely not what I'd call silky, and is especially not great at judging distance correctly. As for his supposed footy brain, suffice to say he's no Buckley. Never will be!

But you're correct in stating that Rusling hasn't shown us that he can play midfield. Not entirely his fault, as the only time he's played anywhere other than the forward line, is when he got whipped by Silvia in the VFL. I haven't seen him pick up a ball off a ground yet. Great speed and mark. Can kick effectively. I reckon his role as a footballer is as an outside medium tall. Doubt he will play inside midfield.

 

[magpies42]

Sheesh Judd can be overrated! He's a burst inside midfielder who wins a fair bit of it, but can disappear fairly easily as well. He's lightening fast in the first three steps and knows where to run. He's got a big kick, but he's definitely not what I'd call silky, and is especially not great at judging distance correctly. As for his supposed footy brain, suffice to say he's no Buckley. Never will be!

But you're correct in stating that Rusling hasn't shown us that he can play midfield. Not entirely his fault, as the only time he's played anywhere other than the forward line, is when he got whipped by Silvia in the VFL. I haven't seen him pick up a ball off a ground yet. Great speed and mark. Can kick effectively. I reckon his role as a footballer is as an outside medium tall. Doubt he will play inside midfield.

overated? he is barely 22 and has already captained his club. I cant remember much of buckley at his age, but i will assume that he was not as good given that Judd has already won a brownlow and lead his club to a grandfinal appearance.
Sure he can drift in and out of games, but i think he tends to come good when his team needs him to lift. This is a mark of a champion.

He has an uncanny ability to burst through packs knowing exactly where the ball will be gather the ball off the deck without breaking stride (not so easy given his 189cm frame)and score of either side.

Sure he cant kick as well as buckley but who can? There arent to many players that can measure up to buckley so i dont think its a mark against his name.

Im not sure that a buckley of 22 could cope with a tag the way he did at 28. These things come with time!

As for his speed the first three steps are the most important and i doubt that ruzza would have the explosive pace to break out of a pack having just picked up the ball! Sure he may beat judd to the ball if it were in space on a wing but give the boy (judd) abit of credit as he dominates a much tougher position then what ruzza plays!

 

[Wildman]

I don't realy care where he plays,just can't wait to see him out there in 2006.

 

[FIGJAM]

overated? he is barely 22 and has already captained his club. I cant remember much of buckley at his age, but i will assume that he was not as good given that Judd has already won a brownlow and lead his club to a grandfinal appearance.
Sure he can drift in and out of games, but i think he tends to come good when his team needs him to lift. This is a mark of a champion.

He has an uncanny ability to burst through packs knowing exactly where the ball will be gather the ball off the deck without breaking stride (not so easy given his 189cm frame)and score of either side.

Sure he cant kick as well as buckley but who can? There arent to many players that can measure up to buckley so i dont think its a mark against his name.

Im not sure that a buckley of 22 could cope with a tag the way he did at 28. These things come with time!

As for his speed the first three steps are the most important and i doubt that ruzza would have the explosive pace to break out of a pack having just picked up the ball! Sure he may beat judd to the ball if it were in space on a wing but give the boy (judd) abit of credit as he dominates a much tougher position then what ruzza plays!

I agree with everything you said there about, but you actually started talking more realistically, instead of giving him attributes that he doesn't have.

Bucks copped tags very early on and shook them. He was a superstar before he even went to Brisbane.

 

[pocketrocket#24]

judd is senstational.....different qualities than bucks, but id say he probably has more.....
-bucks wins more consistent ball and is awesome by foot
-judd is super quick, not too far behind in disposal, and whilst he doesnt win the ball as consistently as bucks he can get exorbitant amounts of it in quick succession and arguably have more impact through his explosiveness

 

[pocketrocket#24]

by the way i didnt mean that to sound like i think judd is better.....just potentially

 

[FIGJAM]

You're still overrating Judd's disposal. He's an average kick. He's not anywhere close to the likes of Bucks, or even a Hodge.

Still a superstar for his obvious attributes, but don't start overrating aspects of his game which are average. As soon as you do, you are overrating him full stop, hence my initial post!

 

[MarkT]

Bucks copped tags very early on and shook them. He was a superstar before he even went to Brisbane.

Was he tagged in the SANFL comp? If that wasn’t the most unaccountable comp on the planet I’ll go he. Just for perspective on standard he went from SANFL B&F to the Bad News Bears r/up B&F. Not trying to denigrate his achievement but it is reflective of the two comps. Don’t forget he was a mature draftee too.

I wouldn’t sell Judd short. He has a way to go to match Buckley over a career but he could very well be a cross between Buckley and McLeod. I reckon you under rate his kicking. He also seems very smart on the park and off which helps. I'd give up anyone on our list for Judd except maybe Travis Cloke and that's only because he's a potential tall powerhouse rather than a midfield powerhouse. Odds are Travis won't get near Judd in the end though.

 

[magpies42]

Was he tagged in the SANFL comp? If that wasn’t the most unaccountable comp on the planet I’ll go he. Just for perspective on standard he went from SANFL B&F to the Bad News Bears r/up B&F. Not trying to denigrate his achievement but it is reflective of the two comps. Don’t forget he was a mature draftee too.

I wouldn’t sell Judd short. He has a way to go to match Buckley over a career but he could very well be a cross between Buckley and McLeod. I reckon you under rate his kicking. He also seems very smart on the park and off which helps. I'd give up anyone on our list for Judd except maybe Travis Cloke and that's only because he's a potential tall powerhouse rather than a midfield powerhouse. Odds are Travis won't get near Judd in the end though.

i think id take those odds and take judd over trav any day of the week!
players of judds qualities are very rare. Do say that he is as good as buckley will only be determined by teh end of his career, because he has to be as consistant as buckley till the end!

 

[MarkT]

You may have misread my post. You can't take the odds and back Judd.

 

[grinspoon]

judd is senstational.....different qualities than bucks, but id say he probably has more.....
-bucks wins more consistent ball and is awesome by foot
-judd is super quick, not too far behind in disposal, and whilst he doesnt win the ball as consistently as bucks he can get exorbitant amounts of it in quick succession and arguably have more impact through his explosiveness

Again pace is not better than sublime skills. Buckley any day of the week. Hodge and Del Santo are better than Judd aswell.

 

[Nardz]

Hodge and Del Santo are better than Judd aswell.

You can't be serious...