Young ruck man

[Reggi]

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/sydney-needs-its-young-trio-of-ruckman-to-adapt-to-afl-standard-quickly/story-fndv8ujy-1226827511152

It's a great article. Look forward to watching them next week

I expect Nanny and Sam will get really tired towards the back of the year.

[BSA5]

I really liked the look of Nankervis, he was my pick of the three in the intra-club, at least for the second ruck position. If Pyke goes down then you could maybe argue for Derickx as primary ruck based simply on his relative physical maturity, but doubt he has the tricks for the second ruck position.

Naismith is a primary ruckman waiting to happen.

[giant]

Article seems to suggest they'll play two ruckmen in H&A season, but I'd doubt that would be the case?

[Auntie.Gerald]

BSA5

thats interesting that you thought Nanny was ahead of Naismith as a Ruckman as I thought Nanny from what I saw played mainly in the forwards and secondly couldnt beat Sammy in the ruck either.

I hold reservation on Sammy being ready for 2014 purely from a cardio perspective but not ruck work

[ShockOfHair]

Article seems to suggest they'll play two ruckmen in H&A season, but I'd doubt that would be the case?

I think it's a case of assuming that rucks are injury-prone and also thinking about relieving Pyke. With our huge number of talls, including LRT and Tippett, it's hard to imagine that we would take two rucks into any game this year.

[jono2707]

Just my opinion, but from what I saw on Wednesday, Nanny (I like that nickname) is ahead in terms of becoming our second ruckman (or first choice if anything happens to Pike). He seemed to have a pretty good grasp of the game and his role, and he used his size well. He moves ok too and will only improve.

Sam certainly has the most upside, but as noted by others he still has a bit to go. Also, Derickx spent a bit of time down back so they might be trying to add a few more strings to his bow - I don't think he has the absolute size or bulk to be a first choice ruckman but I think his relative experience combined with a bit of versatility may help his cause.

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens with our rucks this year....

[swanwolf]

Tippett in the ruck is a waste of material. It also invites injury to our best forward. I suspect rotations will be reduced further in the coming years so the ruck load'll be shared more evenly and a forward filling in won't cut it. However, I'm not sure which of the three candidates will get the nod. DerickX didn't come to Sydney merely to play in the NEAFL although Nankervis' form could give him the edge. Naismith needs a solid run before he's ready but he's not as far away as some think.

They all need time to develop and we need space for talls. Retirement/s this year could give us the latter and while we're waiting for the great ruck/forward, Tippo the forward/ruck will probably have to suffice. In my view, the futures and health of Goodes and LRT will be the key to it all.

[Ludwig]

Tippett in the ruck is a waste of material. It also invites injury to our best forward. I suspect rotations will be reduced further in the coming years so the ruck load'll be shared more evenly and a forward filling in won't cut it. However, I'm not sure which of the three candidates will get the nod. DerickX didn't come to Sydney merely to play in the NEAFL although Nankervis' form could give him the edge. Naismith needs a solid run before he's ready but he's not as far away as some think.

They all need time to develop and we need space for talls. Retirement/s this year could give us the latter and while we're waiting for the great ruck/forward, Tippo the forward/ruck will probably have to suffice. In my view, the futures and health of Goodes and LRT will be the key to it all.

Where would you suggest Derickx should play during the 70% of the game that Pyke is rucking? Perhaps he can help bolster our tall forward stocks, and we can use Buddy, Tippett, Reid and Goodes as decoys so Tom gets matched up on a Boomer Harvey type. Or perhaps we can send Reid into defence and instead of Derickx playing in the NEAFL, we can have Reg and LRT play the year out in the NEAFL.

I think the NEAFL is exactly where we hope to see Tom spend his time this year, then get delisted to make room for another draft pick. I think we panicked, perhaps with good reason, signed Tom before we knew how Naismith would respond after an injury plagued year and before we actually had Nankervis on our books. If we can get through this season with Nanny and Sam building on these early good signs, then I don't see much of a need for Tom, although I thought he looked a good enough backup ruckman in the practice match, and may well be the first choice replacement is anything happened to Pyke.

As for Tippett, a rucking forward is just what he should be. We can say the same about Drew Petrie and NicNat, that they are just too good in the forward line to waste them in the ruck, especially Natanui, since he actually has had continuing groin problems. Top notch sides cannot afford to waste a field position on a extra ruckman. The Forward/Ruck role is a critical one in the modern game. The extra spot that would be used on a second full time ruckman is needed to carry another midfielder, especially with the cap on rotations.

We are fortunate that Pyke is quite a good FF for a ruckman, and Tippett is quite a good ruckman for a FF. That sort of combination working effectively is one of the keys on the road to a Premiership.

[Captain]

I would have LRT/Tippett as 2nd ruck.

One of these will only come in for injury to Lyke, Tippett, LRT

[Primmy]

Kind of a moot point. We have two new ruckman on the seniors list in Nankervis and Derickx, who could back up the subsidiary ruckmen, LRT & Tippo.

Important to note, Naismith is still rookie.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Tippett in the ruck is a waste of material. It also invites injury to our best forward.

Could't agree more, but I suspect Horse has a very different point of view. I am certain he will play Pyke and Tippett in the ruck, with LRT as gameday insurance. DerickX is insurance for Pyke through the next season or two, while Sam and the Nanny develop.

[Ludwig]

For those who support the position that we should play 2 legitimate ruckmen, in lieu of using Tippett or LRT as a relief ruckman, I would make the following suggestion:

Fill in the team with your best 22, excluding the 2nd ruckman. Then decide who you would drop from the team to play Tom Derickx or Nanny. That's the reality of the what you would be faced with as a selector.

[undy]

For those who support the position that we should play 2 legitimate ruckmen, in lieu of using Tippett or LRT as a relief ruckman, I would make the following suggestion:

Fill in the team with your best 22, excluding the 2nd ruckman. Then decide who you would drop from the team to play Tom Derickx or Nanny. That's the reality of the what you would be faced with as a selector.

If only the selectors were so lucky. To do this exercise more realistically, write down the names of all the tall ruckmen and forwards on a sheet of paper in any order, then cross out every 4th one. That's your lucky-with-injuries-and-suspensions scenario. Repeat and cross out every 2nd one - that's your unlucky-with-injuries scenario.

[Ludwig]

If only the selectors were so lucky. To do this exercise more realistically, write down the names of all the tall ruckmen and forwards on a sheet of paper in any order, then cross out every 4th one. That's your lucky-with-injuries-and-suspensions scenario. Repeat and cross out every 2nd one - that's your unlucky-with-injuries scenario.

Mine was a best case scenario. The injury scenario is basically the same except if Pyke is injured, then Derickx takes his place. If TIppett is injured as well, then perhaps LRT or Nanny come in as well, if only Tippett is injured and not Pyke, then LRT must play. It doesn't change the dynamic of the structure. In all of these scenarios, we still have only 1 primary ruckman and a relief ruckman who plays mostly forward. Even in the 2 man down scenario, Nanny would play Tippett's primary forward role, which he is quite capable of. Hopefully he can do it at AFL level as well.