Toby Nankervis trade, SuperCoach, Richmond impact, Sydney impactMarch 7, 2017
Riley Beveridge
FOX SPORTSDURING a trade period that took the footy world by surprise, a deal taking inexperienced ruckman Toby Nankervis from Sydney to Richmond barely raised an eyebrow.
Yet on the eve of Round 1, the 22-year-old’s move to Punt Road looks as though it could have an immediate impact on both the Swans and the Tigers.
Having impressed Richmond officials on the track throughout the summer, Nankervis has continued such form into the side’s opening JLT Community Series matches.
With 15 disposals, 22 hit-outs, five tackles and a goal against Port Adelaide on Sunday, the 199cm big man was one of Richmond’s standout performers. It backed up a promising debut for the club against Adelaide the week prior.
Edging ahead of veteran Ivan Maric and the injured Shaun Hampson, the 12-gamer now looms as a likely starter in Richmond’s season-opening clash against Carlton in a fortnight’s time.
“Nankervis is going to be as good as they could have hoped for,” Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton told SEN on Monday night.
“He’s long and he’s a genuinely big size for a ruckman. The old days of someone coming in and saying ‘I’m 6ft 6in’, that’s the starting price now for a ruckman. You have to be bigger than that if you want to outreach someone at the centre square.
“He’s genuinely big with long limbs. I reckon he’s going to be a big acquisition for them.
“But the other thing I noticed is that, of all of their players who restrict the opposition and tackle, his average for tackles per game is better than anyone existing at Richmond already.”
Nankervis’ physicality has been a highlight of his short career so far, with the big man registering an average of 4.7 tackles per game throughout his time at Sydney.
According to Champion Data, he ranked third for all ruckmen for tackles last season, while his hitout-to-advantage rating of 38 per cent was the best in the competition.
His tackling received a further endorsement from Richmond assistant coach Andrew McQualter last month, who commented that Nankervis had “nearly put a couple of our players in hospital” throughout pre-season.
Such an ability to pressure the ball-carrier has also impressed head coach Damien Hardwick, who lauded Nankervis’ potential to improve at Punt Road.
“He’s been very good — he had the leading pressure points in the game and he had five or six tackles as well,” Hardwick said after last weekend’s match.
“He’s a presence down the line, so he’s been a really good pick-up and our list management guys have done a terrific job in getting him across.
“He’s only going to get better as a player, he’s only 22, so it’s really exciting for us.”
But it’s not only at Richmond where the trade taking Nankervis to the Tigers in exchange for Pick 46 is having an impact.
Sydney, gearing up for a Round 1 outing against Port Adelaide, has dealt with somewhat of a ruck shortage in the lead-up to the year ahead.
The side’s premier big men in the wake of Nankervis’ departure — Sam Naismith and Callum Sinclair — have had limited pre-season campaigns due to shoulder and knee injuries respectively.
Both returned for last weekend’s JLT Community Series clash against Greater Western Sydney, with Naismith playing only 54 per cent game time and Sinclair just 62 per cent.
Prior to that, in the side’s opening pre-season fixture, the ruck responsibilities fell on the shoulders of forward Kurt Tippett and youngster Darcy Cameron, who is in his rookie season with the club after being taken with Pick 48 in last year’s national draft.
With both Naismith and Sinclair expected to be fit for Round 1, the short-term implications of the trade are likely to be slim for the Swans.
However, given Nankervis’ lofty potential to become Richmond’s long-term No.1 ruckman, whether Sydney eventually lives to regret the deal is another story.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/how-toby-nankervis-trade-could-have-a-round-1-impact-on-both-richmond-and-sydney/news-story/1d34b254910b0aed9746e61d2754c30c
