Richmond recruit Toby Nankervis fast becoming a fan favouriteCourtney Walsh
The Australian
29 April 2017Having cultivated a mentorship under Ivan Maric, Toby Nankervis is emerging as a ruckman of influence and a Tigers fan favourite.
The mullet-sporting Maric is a cult figure at Punt Road, but under his tutoring, the Tigers are now hankering for their ruckman dubbed “Nank the Tank”.
There is a humorous undertone to a common statistic doing the rounds on social media, namely that since Richmond lured Nankervis from Sydney, the Tigers are five and zero and the Swans zero from five.
But there is no disputing the impact Nankervis has had on Richmond, with the ruckman playing a key role in their unbeaten start.
The Tigers put their five-game streak to the test against the top-placed and unbeaten Crows at Adelaide Oval tomorrow.
And Nankervis’s battle with Sam Jacobs, who is twice an All Australian nominee, is critical to Richmond’s chances of upsetting Adelaide at home.
In an interview with The Weekend Australian after a recent win, the fledgling ruckman credited his bright start at his new home to the tuition he has received from Maric, the man whose role he has assumed.
“He has been incredible with how selfless he is and how much he cares for the group,” he said.
“It is unbelievable. He has done so much for me. He helps me every week. He takes time out of his own day to help me, which is unbelievable. We are similar players, me and Ivy, about 199/200cm, and obviously he was a terrific player for a long time, so he has a lot of tricks and he is an unbelievable player and a special person as well.”
Nankervis showed promise in 13 games with Sydney over the past two years, with his five games last year against Geelong, Hawthorn, Adelaide, West Coast and Port Adelaide, four of which played finals. But he was starved of opportunities with Kurt Tippett, Sam Naismith and Callum Sinclair considered alongside or ahead of him at Sydney.
While Shaun Hampson proved a handy tap ruckman for Richmond last year with Maric sidelined, it was clear the Tigers needed further depth in the ruck and the strong-bodied Nankervis appealed. After meeting with coach Damien Hardwick in the off-season, Nankervis was convinced to move south, he told The Weekend Australian.
“It was hard to leave Sydney. I left under absolutely no bad terms at all. I have some of my best mates up there and some good relationships with my coaches,” he said.
“But for me, it was about trying to have a crack at senior footy. I had a good chat to Dimma (Hardwick) and he was someone I really clicked with straight away.
“He really cared about my family and where I have come from, stuff like that, which was just outstanding (and he is) someone who has real good relationships with players, so I am just rapt to be here.
“I am really excited about the young playing group, playing at the G in front of 70,000 to 80,000. It is unreal. I can’t describe it.”
So well has he started, questions are being asked as to whether the Swans made the right choice when trading the 22-year-old to Richmond for pick 45 in last year’s national draft.
Former Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd labelled the decision a blunder this week, saying the former Swan “has been huge” and praising his aggression.
“What a big error, what a big mistake that was from Sydney,” Lloyd said on 3AW.
“Kurt Tippett and Sam Naismith, they are ‘nice’ footballers. Nankervis plays in a way that you want to follow, a lot like Ivan Maric did a few years ago. (He is) just a bigger version.
“I just think they (Sydney) got that one horribly wrong, how they didn’t give him the opportunities, (because) suddenly a good player leaves their club.”
Nankervis was widely lauded for his performance against Melbourne last Monday night, with the fledgling ruckman receiving four votes in the AFL Coaches Award. Jason Dunstall praised him for the agility he showed during a pursuit and tackle on a Demon, quipping that Nankervis had Usain Bolt-type attributes.
An exaggeration, perhaps, but his teammate Shaun Grigg said recently that Nankervis is more than simply a ruckman.
“It’s like having an extra midfielder around, he’s so good at ground level,” Grigg said.
After the clash against Melbourne in which fellow Tasmanian Jack Riewoldt kicked a match-winning six goals, Nankervis quipped that they excelled because the wet, wintry conditions reminded them of the Apple Isle.
Nankervis hails from George Town, which sits on the mouth of the Tamar River and is also the home town of Carlton coach Brendon Bolton, former Demon Brad Green, cycling world champion Danny Clark and Australian spinner Xavier Doherty.
“I was speaking to Jack … and saying ‘We love this weather’. We have had it growing up all our lives, so we love it,” he told Fox Sports.
For all the plaudits offered this season to Nankervis, who notched 56 hit outs against the Demons, there is a surprising quirk in his game. Statistically, he is actually below par in a basic rucking skill, with his tap numbers against Melbourne inflated by the absence of Jake Spencer from midway through the game.
Purely on what he offers Richmond at ball-ups or boundary line throw-ins, Nankervis is less adept in these areas than Hampson was last year. Indeed, Nankervis has won only 40 per cent of his rucking contests this year and the Tigers sit 3rd last in terms of hit-outs to advantage this year. But that does not portray his true value.
Players talk so much about the value of playing their role that it has become a football cliche, but Nankervis is very much a role player. And the role he plays is helping oil the AFL’s most improved side, with his work around the ground particularly valuable.
The former Swan has set up behind the ball more than any other ruckman to date this season and, as a result, he ranks first in the competition in terms of intercept marks taken by ruckmen.
According to an analysis by Champion Data, he is assessed as above average in disposals gathered, contested possessions, clearances won and score assists.
His kicking for goal is elite. Admittedly, he has only kicked three goals, but he is yet to miss.
But it his hulking presence behind the ball that is of assistance to his team because, in part, it allows the Tigers to set up higher up the ground, an analyst said.
They are, Adelaide coach Don Pyke said, a “high pressure team”.
So far, so good for Nankervis, who impressed Richmond with his determination by showing up with the rookies and young Tigers from the opening day of the pre-season when he could have started a couple of weeks later.
“I was there for three or four days and I felt like I had been there forever,” he said.
“The young boys just got around me and I felt so welcome. I was lucky enough not to miss a session, the whole pre-season, and felt fit and strong and I feel good.”
The Tigers will be hoping “Nank the Tank” keeps rolling.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-recruit-toby-nankervis-fast-becoming-a-fan-favourite/news-story/96803c22f13105c93b798d671f807cde
