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Trev from the Bush wrote:Outstanding game by big Tom and never stopped in the last quarter.
Great to see Seb Ross have a top game; he was set to do this last year but that serious hammy late in the fist half of the fist NAB Cup match (he was BOG at the time) robbed him last year.
Took great heart from Acres performance also.
Acres 3rd qtr definitely the best I have seen of him
I thought Ross was good until the last qtr when pretty well everything he did was a clanger
Moves a bit like a younger Spider... Skinny, awkward, mobile but ungainly.... He's a bit of a giraffe... But he's clever with his hands in the clearances, he has good hands and find the pill.
I think it's pretty clear that whilst that was a Herculean effort by Tom, the poor guy mist have been buggered by 3/4 time and faded like most of the rest.
I think it was a mistake going in with only one ruck.
Bruce can't be the relief guy. I don't want to see that fall to Lee again if he gets a shot...
skeptic wrote:So what does this mean for the ruck structure?
I think it's pretty clear that whilst that was a Herculean effort by Tom, the poor guy mist have been buggered by 3/4 time and faded like most of the rest.
I think it was a mistake going in with only one ruck.
Bruce can't be the relief guy. I don't want to see that fall to Lee again if he gets a shot...
Who else comes in and where?
This isn't something that gets resolved by the next game, the next few games, this year or even the year after. Tom was great today - can he maintain that against better rucks - including twin rucks? Will his body hold up as they bash and crash him - he's been injury prone? All recent premiers have had two rucks with one that is a genuine threat forward doing the relief rucking. They were trying to groom Hickey as the fwd-ruck but its hasn't been a huge success so far. He seems to find his touch being able to go all over the ground.
Longer has a real physicality about him that Richo seemed to like. You can't write off Pierce - he came up as forward so maybe it could be Hickey as main ruck, Pierce as fwd-ruck relief. Maybe its horses for courses. Lots of water to go under the bridge but its nice to have depth and options in the ruck to give selectors headaches.
skeptic wrote:So what does this mean for the ruck structure?
I think it's pretty clear that whilst that was a Herculean effort by Tom, the poor guy mist have been buggered by 3/4 time and faded like most of the rest.
I think it was a mistake going in with only one ruck.
Bruce can't be the relief guy. I don't want to see that fall to Lee again if he gets a shot...
Loved the Hicksters game... Best I have seen , we need a strong ruck base and horses for courses, I'm not sure why getting rid of any of our ruck group has so much love on this site?
They all take time to mature at their ages they are just about as good as going around. It will be a interesting year for them, starting to wonder if keeping Hickey back last season has made him hungrier , hope it has the same effect on Longer and co.
I don't get to training but someone who played ruck at a high level does he claims Pierce may end up the best of all but it's too early to call.
And the president said " I did not have sex with that woman"
And our former president said " Football is like golf"
I thought Hickey was set for breakout year in 2015. I was wrong - and by year end Longer was clearly the clubs first choice.
Not sure Ports rucks are much chop, but like everyone else very pleased with Toms game. Really hope this is the start of something for him and he can get on a roll.
Life is never more fun than when you're the underdog competing against the giants.
supersaints wrote:Loved the Hicksters game... Best I have seen , we need a strong ruck base and horses for courses, I'm not sure why getting rid of any of our ruck group has so much love on this site?
They all take time to mature at their ages they are just about as good as going around. It will be a interesting year for them, starting to wonder if keeping Hickey back last season has made him hungrier , hope it has the same effect on Longer and co.
I don't get to training but someone who played ruck at a high level does he claims Pierce may end up the best of all but it's too early to call.
I've been the same. You need the ruck depth. Also we don't know how the game will go or which players come on and which don't or who gets injured or their form drops. And good competition forces quicker development. Hickey fought it out to the end, after some help from Bruce, so he seems to be developing a good tank. With limited rotations maybe one ruck is the way to go as they save rotations for the mids, I don't know. Need to see how it plays out over the next couple of years.
BigMart wrote:Because the ruck is one position... You cannot carry as many even ability ruckmen on a list
You need a clear #1
A clear senior back up fwd ruck
A back up #1 ruckman
1 or 2 developing rucks.... One a ruck fwd
Too simplistic Big Mart
We don't have a clear number 1 ruck because they are all in development stage! Natural progression will work all that out in the next two or three years when we should be primed. We're not in premiership co tent ion we are building a team that will hopefully contend. I think our young ruck stocks will turn out as good as most..
And the president said " I did not have sex with that woman"
And our former president said " Football is like golf"
