Gawn avoids ACL injury

[Big Mac]

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2014-09-02/gawn-avoids-acl-injury

We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Still think his injury will make us push that little bit harder for a ruck this trading period.

[Purple 77]

Few!


I like to think we are alright in the ruck department? No stars, but I have no real dilemmas with them. Russian is quality, Spencer is the hardest worker and I think does more midfield work than the others, Gawn has genuine promise, and Pedo and Fitzy can pinch hit.

I understand the Spencer criticisms tho, he sometimes struggles in the ruck. Just think that he may take the next step, as ruckman often do at around his age.

[Big Mac]

Fitzy and Pedo aren't good enough to play as full time rucks, Gawn and Spencer need more time and Jamar only has at max, 1 year left. Add in all the injuries that big men seem to be so prone to and I think it would be incredibly beneficial for us to pick up someone in the Ryder mould, who can both ruck and go forward.

[Purple 77]

Fitzy and Pedo aren't good enough to play as full time rucks, Gawn and Spencer need more time and Jamar only has at max, 1 year left. Add in all the injuries that big men seem to be so prone to and I think it would be incredibly beneficial for us to pick up someone in the Ryder mould, who can both ruck and go forward.

Fair call, as long as we don't pay overs, and that a midfielder remains our top priority, I wouldn't mind.

[Ringo]

You can not have Martin back.  Seriously though would you have let him go if you realised he had the potential he is now showing.  Do not make the same mistake with your young rucks Spencer, Fitzpatrick and Gawn. Agree you may need an interim one for when Jamar retires.

[Purple 77]

You can not have Martin back.  Seriously though would you have let him go if you realised he had the potential he is now showing.  Do not make the same mistake with your young rucks Spencer, Fitzpatrick and Gawn. Agree you may need an interim one for when Jamar retires.

Martin's form is of no surprise to me. He showed this form (but scored a bit less) a few years ago at melbourne. At the time I was pretty upset we let him go, but apparently, according to Neeld "He was an anti-culturalist"

So that made me "wouldn't mind" if he was traded, but Melbourne lowered his price in the end for a stupid Pick50-odd and Pick 70-odd. That made me mad.

[Capper]

Good to hear for Gawn.

A third ACL for a 22yo ruckman wouldnt sound good

[Big Mac]

You can not have Martin back.  Seriously though would you have let him go if you realised he had the potential he is now showing.  Do not make the same mistake with your young rucks Spencer, Fitzpatrick and Gawn. Agree you may need an interim one for when Jamar retires.

He has always had the ability to perform almost like a midfielder while rucking, so it's not really too surprising to see him rack it up now. I think it was the general consensus that Jamar had much better tap-work, and seeing as Stef could never really perform as a pinch-hitting forward, we didn't really miss him when he left. In hindsight I definitely would have kept him, but at the time, I probably would have traded him as well. Although definitely not for the crumbs Neeld managed for him.

[nrich102]

Didn't Stef play a bit of defence while with you guys??

[Purple 77]

Didn't Stef play a bit of defence while with you guys??

Ever so briefly, but that was before his breakout year.

[nrich102]

Didn't Stef play a bit of defence while with you guys??

Ever so briefly, but that was before his breakout year.

Ah, thanks mate.