Full assessment of 2009 rucks

[Uncle]

There has been much talk about the 2009 DT ruck situation. Though it was about time for my assessment. Obviously there will be players that I will miss out, and this is just my take on the players. Focusing on the players that have been widely discussed. Here goes

Dean Cox: There is simply no doubt he is the best ruckman in the competition, in DT terms and as a player. Being honest, I've never had him before because every year is the year i think he'll drop. This year, I cannot go past him. But I still don't believe the common thought that you cannot win without him, or that your side is terrible if you opt against him.

David Hille: Averaged 86 last year. Firm favourite to be the number 2 ruck this year. Has the background to suggest this is true. However, there are a few sticking points. Throughout his career, he has missed plenty of games, bringing his durability into question. Also proved to be pretty inconsistent last year, but this is the case with everyone but Cox.

Drew Petrie: Personally, I'll steer clear. He was good last year and I don't dispute this. However with Hmac back, his role is unclear. Most likely to play in defense, which is likely to have a negative impact on scores, as he will be key position, not a floater grabbing possessions. Also plays for North Melbourne- hard to pick their players thanks to D Laidley.

Troy Simmonds: Similar to Hille. Durability can be an issue, and highly inconsistent. Still, a good choice.

Aaron Sandilands: Another really interesting one. I think that of all the rucks, he is one of the most reliable in terms of durability. Also, he is the only decent ruck at the club, so not only will he play 22 games if not injured, he will have more TOG than most. The thing about sandi is that last year he averaged 29 hitouts a game. He was inconsistent last year, but i can see him being a very good, consistent choice this season.

Daniel Currie: At this stage, i'm thinking he'll be one of the most selected rucks. As far as I can see, most people are taking him as a 3rd or 4th ruck. Roos has big wraps for the kid, and he's being talked up as the 2nd ruck for sydney. In which case, he's a good reserve. And lets face it, you've got issues if your 4th ruck is required to play in your side at any point. But if he's your 3rd and you don't have 2 durable rucks in your side, remember : He's had an interrupted pre season, and he's never even played an AFL game!!

Darren Jolly: He was handy last year. For those of you expecting him to have vast improvement, don't hold your breath. Fact is, his TOG will not ise as much as eveyone thinks. He is not playing at Freo, Sydney have plenty of young ruckman that will be fighting for the number 2 spot, and fact is sydney need to rebuild, so the youngsters will be given a chance. In my opinion, whichever ruck is #2 this year will get just as much game time as everitt did last year.

Brad Ottens: IMO a far better choice than Jolly at this price. Slow starter last year due to injury, missed the first few games and all preseason. Look at how he finished the year- excellent. When he rests from the ruck to give blake/west a hit, he will spend some time up forward. Good selection.


Josh Fraser: Has in the past been a big scorer, but i think those days are behind him. Has had his fair share of injuries, but I reckon this year he will be very consistent in his weekly scores.

Jesse White: Has been hyped as one of the front runners, along with Currie, to get the ruck spot that Orreal/Pyke are also vying for. Fact of the matter is, he's likely to get games, but unlikely to be in the ruck. More likely to get key defensive role, with very little point scoring opportunities.

MacIntosh: Probably the most talked about DT ruck this year. I reckon the most popular combo this year will be Cox/Hmac. I'm not convinced about him at all. Proven DT scorer, and could well do it again. However, here are the facts- Injury prone and returning from a big one. North have an abundance of good ruckman Hale/Petrie (and young goldstein). HMaC will start in that spot, but their structure is so open to interpretation there is no guarantees. And don't forget that they tried to trade him after last season...

The Others: Maric, Griffin Tippett and Moran all showed some potential last year. But similar to NM issues. Charman/Leun? NO! Warnock is a big smokie, but probably won't start- if he does he's underdone. Wood and bryan are ok but won't get much TOG and too expensive to be a backup. Hawthorn are interesting because the number 1 ruck spot is contested... keep an eye on that situation. STAY AWAY from MELBOURNE rucks. Unless you like Spencer. And to finish, I think Gardiner, Kosi and King are all big risks to due to debate over who plays where, age and injuries.

I don't have the time to add to this.. let me know what you think about my take on rucks

[Nooka]

A very good write up.

Everyone should have Cox. The Second Ruck is what is throwing most people, and I don't think McIntosh will be the best option because of limited TOG, his NAB cup performance against Carlton was pathetic.

For me the second Ruck choice is between Hille, Sandilands and Ottens. Ottens is a lot cheaper than the other two but I'm not sure whether or not he will average as high as Hille. The only problem with Sandilands is that he doesnt get enough touches around the ground for my liking.

Hille dropping back into defence, like he did last night, will definitely improve his fantasy numbers, so even though he is the most expensive of the 3 I think he is the safest.

[Uncle]

cheers mate... i'm thinking along the same lines as you- cox/hille

[StantonLEGEND]

personally im going with cox/ottens HOWEVER i had c.cloke at the end of last year and he did quite well for me avergaed about 75-80..so he may be worth it again.





WHAT DOES IMO MEAN SOME ONE???

[Cutty]

IMO = In My Opinion

and spot on in your assessment of the ruck options

[Queenslander]

i'm gonna go cox/maric

[StantonLEGEND]

and you are going to lose....

[F-Bomber]

There has been much talk about the 2009 DT ruck situation. Though it was about time for my assessment. Obviously there will be players that I will miss out, and this is just my take on the players. Focusing on the players that have been widely discussed. Here goes

Dean Cox: There is simply no doubt he is the best ruckman in the competition, in DT terms and as a player. Being honest, I've never had him before because every year is the year i think he'll drop. This year, I cannot go past him. But I still don't believe the common thought that you cannot win without him, or that your side is terrible if you opt against him.

David Hille: Averaged 86 last year. Firm favourite to be the number 2 ruck this year. Has the background to suggest this is true. However, there are a few sticking points. Throughout his career, he has missed plenty of games, bringing his durability into question. Also proved to be pretty inconsistent last year, but this is the case with everyone but Cox.

Drew Petrie: Personally, I'll steer clear. He was good last year and I don't dispute this. However with Hmac back, his role is unclear. Most likely to play in defense, which is likely to have a negative impact on scores, as he will be key position, not a floater grabbing possessions. Also plays for North Melbourne- hard to pick their players thanks to D Laidley.

Troy Simmonds: Similar to Hille. Durability can be an issue, and highly inconsistent. Still, a good choice.

Aaron Sandilands: Another really interesting one. I think that of all the rucks, he is one of the most reliable in terms of durability. Also, he is the only decent ruck at the club, so not only will he play 22 games if not injured, he will have more TOG than most. The thing about sandi is that last year he averaged 29 hitouts a game. He was inconsistent last year, but i can see him being a very good, consistent choice this season.

Daniel Currie: At this stage, i'm thinking he'll be one of the most selected rucks. As far as I can see, most people are taking him as a 3rd or 4th ruck. Roos has big wraps for the kid, and he's being talked up as the 2nd ruck for sydney. In which case, he's a good reserve. And lets face it, you've got issues if your 4th ruck is required to play in your side at any point. But if he's your 3rd and you don't have 2 durable rucks in your side, remember : He's had an interrupted pre season, and he's never even played an AFL game!!

Darren Jolly: He was handy last year. For those of you expecting him to have vast improvement, don't hold your breath. Fact is, his TOG will not ise as much as eveyone thinks. He is not playing at Freo, Sydney have plenty of young ruckman that will be fighting for the number 2 spot, and fact is sydney need to rebuild, so the youngsters will be given a chance. In my opinion, whichever ruck is #2 this year will get just as much game time as everitt did last year.

Brad Ottens: IMO a far better choice than Jolly at this price. Slow starter last year due to injury, missed the first few games and all preseason. Look at how he finished the year- excellent. When he rests from the ruck to give blake/west a hit, he will spend some time up forward. Good selection.


Josh Fraser: Has in the past been a big scorer, but i think those days are behind him. Has had his fair share of injuries, but I reckon this year he will be very consistent in his weekly scores.

Jesse White: Has been hyped as one of the front runners, along with Currie, to get the ruck spot that Orreal/Pyke are also vying for. Fact of the matter is, he's likely to get games, but unlikely to be in the ruck. More likely to get key defensive role, with very little point scoring opportunities.

MacIntosh: Probably the most talked about DT ruck this year. I reckon the most popular combo this year will be Cox/Hmac. I'm not convinced about him at all. Proven DT scorer, and could well do it again. However, here are the facts- Injury prone and returning from a big one. North have an abundance of good ruckman Hale/Petrie (and young goldstein). HMaC will start in that spot, but their structure is so open to interpretation there is no guarantees. And don't forget that they tried to trade him after last season...

The Others: Maric, Griffin Tippett and Moran all showed some potential last year. But similar to NM issues. Charman/Leun? NO! Warnock is a big smokie, but probably won't start- if he does he's underdone. Wood and bryan are ok but won't get much TOG and too expensive to be a backup. Hawthorn are interesting because the number 1 ruck spot is contested... keep an eye on that situation. STAY AWAY from MELBOURNE rucks. Unless you like Spencer. And to finish, I think Gardiner, Kosi and King are all big risks to due to debate over who plays where, age and injuries.

I don't have the time to add to this.. let me know what you think about my take on rucks

Great post, but i'd have to disagree that Hawthorn's no.1  ruck spot is contested. Robert Campbell is their clear first ruck and is a much better player than Simon Taylor or the talented, but inconsistent Brent Renouf.

He's serviceable at least in comparison to many rated here, will get good TOG and is bloody cheap for a no.1 ruckman. Could be a good option for those who can't afford a premium Cox and Petrie/Hille/Ottens option

[Wiki]

Sandilands the most durable? please explain...

[Uncle]

dez my man you are a fool... or should I say thanks 'mate' for pulling me up on sandi. I got owned, because a look back shows that sandi is highly undurable... good call 'wiki'

[Heater]

Excellent stuff!  I have gone with Cox/Hille purely because I don't want to be using a trade on a ruckman.  Both will play 22 games (if fit) and Hille looks pretty good ATM.

[Wiki]

Excellent stuff!  I have gone with Cox/Hille purely because I don't want to be using a trade on a ruckman.  Both will play 22 games (if fit) and Hille looks pretty good ATM.

They're the 2 best ruckmen in the league, so of course they're gonna play all games if fit... but just so u know the last full season Hille played was back in '03... he's missed 17 since then so u might wanna have a capable backup if u dont wanna use that trade...

[Uncle]

word is, this kid knows his DT..

[chunky]

Does it worry anyone that Hille has missed 6 games in the past 2 seasons ?

Don't get me wrong. I think he is a great player and he'll score well when he plays, but the fact is that he hasn't played a full season since 2003 and his current role now involves more running than he has ever had to deal with before.

Hille is definately on my radar as my 2nd ruck but I'm worried about his durability because I won't be able to afford to have a reliable back up on the bench.

Comapred to Hille, I know that Simmonds and Petrie may score a few less points on average per game, but they might be a safer bet in terms of their durability ? Would appreciate comments on this.

[Uncle]

a very fair point mate. very fair point. I'm tossing up the same thing, and last I heard wiki was as well. Petrie is a no go for me, because IMO, even if Hille does miss a few games, he will probably get a higher score overall than petrie. The key thing is, you should be fine with hille if you have a decent 3rd ruck. The way i look at it, i think hille is far and away the second best. if he misses 2 or 3 games and you have a reasonable 3rd ruck that can get ya 50 or 60 in his absence, then hille is definately the way to go