Roast The Ruck

[catempire]

We lost the hitouts 64-33 in the VFL yesterday. Most of that was Leuenberger beating Abbott.

 

[Landgraft]

Zac Smith should be a clear number one ruck, much like Stanley should be a dominant ruck/fwd. For whatever reason they aren't capable of effectively using their advantages at AFL level.

One thing I've been stewing on for a while is this preseason interview from 2017. Zac sounded very content - probably a bit too comfortable imo. Probably nothing in it, but I look at it and this soft lazy ruckman and wonder if a link exists.

http://www.geelongcats.com.au/video/2017-01-25/2017-preseason-zac-smith

 

[The rabbi]

 

[Strange Cat]

Is the sky blue Caro?

 

[you pick one]

Is the sky blue Caro?

She obviously missed Blits winning a B&F as a ruckman

 

[Ratcat]

Is the sky blue Caro?

Must read BF! Genius.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Problem is who is available?
What would they cost?

 

[Partridge]

She obviously missed Blits winning a B&F as a ruckmanView attachment 501085

The ladder position that season might have been the counter argument.

 

[Footy Smarts]

The ladder position that season might have been the counter argument.

The ladder that season doesn't make Blicavs' season a bad one. Sure it's not like a B&F in a premiership side but he still had a very good season.

Also if you look at our results that year, some of our better performances came with Blitz as the #1 ruck. With Blicavs as the main ruck that year our results were:

122-53 win over Essendon. Blics had 16 touches, 15 hitouts and 4 tackles. Walker was the other ruck.
89-113 loss to Melbourne. He had 22 touches, 25 hitouts and 13 tackles. This was an awful day but, except for Motlop, Blicavs was our best. Should note Gawn was big but more with his 6 contested marks than massive dominance in the ruck contests.
72-64 win over the Bulldogs. 19 touches, 31 hitouts and 5 tackles.
69-42 win over GWS. 10 touches, 33 hitouts and 5 tackes.
113-57 win over Brisbane. 20 touches, 19 hitouts and 4 tackes.
95-63 win over Sydney. 22 touches, 20 hitouts and 2 tackes.
85-121 loss to Hawthorn. 13 touches, 21 hitouts and 8 tackles.

I think that's all the games where we didn't have a separate ruck playing (Stanley, Simpson or Vardy). 5-2 from those games is pretty good with a win over a top 4 team (Sydney), a top 8 team (dogs), an away win against a top 8 contender (GWS) and one of the losses being to the eventual premiers. He was also in our best handful in both losses.

He's not going to be a gun tap ruckman. But the sad thing is right now he'd go at least as well at the tap work as Smith or Stanley who have been for the most part putrid. He's also a really strong defender around the contest (look at those tackle numbers) which we really, really need. He's also 3 years older and more mature so should be more physically able to compete. With how bad our current ruck stocks are doing, Blicavs having proven himself serviceable in there in his little exposure and him being able to be covered much more easily down back I think playing Blics as our number 1 ruck (perhaps with Sav taking a number of centre bounces) is an absolute no brainer.

 

[Hello Kitty]

Remind me please who Smith rucked against, other than Gawn + Grundy?

 

[STPer18]

Remind me please who Smith rucked against, other than Gawn + Grundy?

He's played just the three games, Melbourne, Collingwood and Essendon. So the two you mentioned + Bellchambers.

 

[Hello Kitty]

He's played just the three games, Melbourne, Collingwood and Essendon. So the two you mentioned + Bellchambers.

Cheers STPer18, thank you so much. Was being lazy not looking it up

 

[BUSTER29]

Looks alot like Smiths papers are stamped then.
Fingers crossed we are in a position too trade or delist both Stanley and Smith at years end then.

 

[dazbroncos]

I just shake my head with the ruck swinging door now.
Smith got 1 game on Gawn.
Stanley got 3 against middle of the roads types and got pansed.
Smith got Grundy and did ok.
Lowered his colours with Belcho but was still in the game.

And now Stanley is back after 4 goals in the VFL.
Maybe Stanley has seen the light and will compete now.

GO Catters

 

[Daniel McL]

I just shake my head with the ruck swinging door now.
Smith got 1 game on Gawn.
Stanley got 3 against middle of the roads types and got pansed.
Smith got Grundy and did ok.
Lowered his colours with Belcho but was still in the game.

And now Stanley is back after 4 goals in the VFL.
Maybe Stanley has seen the light and will compete now.

GO Catters

I’m crossing my fingers that Scott follows through with his words of Esava being a genuine ruckman and we actually play him there for most of the game.

I know you don’t want Esava anywhere near the ruck Daz but I think for this year at least as long as our other rucks continue to play like sh*t that Esava is actually the best option for us in there (next year he can go up forward again with Ottens coming out of retirement for us).

So in the case of Esava playing No.1 ruck, we need someone to play his usual role of 2nd Forward/2nd Ruck and Stanley is much better at that than Smith. Plus Stanley kicked 4 goals in the VFL on the weekend and did well so we should actually play him in the seniors in the position he played in the VFL.

I think it helps our forward setup as well with that 2nd tall forward (i.e. Esava / Stanley) so that Crameri can play his best position as 3rd forward.

We shall see on Saturday if Scott does what I hope he does. Or if he plays Esava up forward (which is fine) but plays Stanley in the ruck just to get killed by Kreuzer even though he plays forward in the VFL and playing him in the ruck in the seniors makes no sense at all as he isn’t a No.1 ruck and he doesn’t play that role in the VFL either.

 

[dazbroncos]

I’m crossing my fingers that Scott follows through with his words of Esava being a genuine ruckman and we actually play him there for most of the game.

I know you don’t want Esava anywhere near the ruck Daz but I think for this year at least as long as our other rucks continue to play like sh*t that Esava is actually the best option for us in there (next year he can go up forward again with Ottens coming out of retirement for us).

So in the case of Esava playing No.1 ruck, we need someone to play his usual role of 2nd Forward/2nd Ruck and Stanley is much better at that than Smith. Plus Stanley kicked 4 goals in the VFL on the weekend and did well so we should actually play him in the seniors in the position he played in the VFL.

I think it helps our forward setup as well with that 2nd tall forward (i.e. Esava / Stanley) so that Crameri can play his best position as 3rd forward.

We shall see on Saturday if Scott does what I hope he does. Or if he plays Esava up forward (which is fine) but plays Stanley in the ruck just to get killed by Kreuzer even though he plays forward in the VFL and playing him in the ruck in the seniors makes no sense at all as he isn’t a No.1 ruck and he doesn’t play that role in the VFL either.

I just remember Dawson Simpson finally getting a streak going and building confidence in his frame and his position in the team.. and after 5 games he goes over on his knee and he never got back.

Sav is just far too much potential to lose that way. It may not happen - but issnrsther mitigate the chances.

Go Catters

 

[Daniel McL]

I just remember Dawson Simpson finally getting a streak going and building confidence in his frame and his position in the team.. and after 5 games he goes over on his knee and he never got back.

Sav is just far too much potential to lose that way. It may not happen - but issnrsther mitigate the chances.

Go Catters

That’s true, a very good point. But it’s a high risk/high reward scenario. We can keep Esava up forward, with a terrible ruckman in the middle and Esava and the rest of our forward don’t get as many opportunities in front of goal because we get smashed in the clearances.

Or we put Esava in the ruck where his leap & ground contested work can help us win lots of clearances which allows more opportunities for our forwards.

Stanley/Buzza play 2nd Forward/2nd Ruck helping out Esava (Menzel to play 2nd Forward when fit, with Blicavs helping Esava in the ruck when need be).

Big call incoming:
Esava could win us a premiership as a ruckman.

 

[Strange Cat]

Massive brave call

 

[Daniel McL]

Massive brave call

I should’ve followed that up by saying that “he can also win us a premiership as a forward too IF our ruck situation gets sorted and one of them steps up”.

But Smith & Stanley have had so many chances to step up and never do it consistently. At least Esava gives 100% effort all the time in there. His leap is better than Smith’s, he can work on his tap work but it’s already pretty good, his marking is ahead of Stanley’s and his ground work is 10x better than either of them.

 

[Down at K Park]

Smith needs to do less time praying to jeebus, and more time working on his ruck skills.

 

[MotleyLemon]

Surely Abbott will be the late change for Stanley this week?

 

[Strange Cat]

Surely Abbott will be the late change for Stanley this week?

Not if they are planning to play Stanley in the forwards as he kicked 4 goals in the VFL

God help us

 

[Down at K Park]

Surely Abbott will be the late change for Stanley this week?

We can only hope.

 

[MotleyLemon]

What's the knock on Abbott? I haven't seen any of him, but he's 200cm and 100kgs? I assume he's a bit of a trier?

 

[Boxhead_31]

Looks like Stanley has got a copy of the photographs that Parson's has