Finding a ruckman?

[one-eyed]

A young ruck draftee will take a number of years. Could be as much as 10 years if you go by the rule ruckmen don't peak until their in their mid-late 20's.

We got Simmo for Fiora last time but where do we find a ready-made ruckman this time around. Is it from the AFL, VFL, SANFL, WAFL ...? 

Tigers on lookout for another ruckman
May 8, 2007 - 6:38PM
The Age

Richmond believes the ruck position is a deficiency in their playing stocks as they build for future AFL success.

Coach Terry Wallace and football director Greg Miller, who has also headed the club's recruiting department in recent years, believe the club's young list has most bases covered.

But both conceded they were a ruckman short and could look to entice a big man from another club to move to Tigerland.

"I think if you have a look through our key positions, we're fine," Wallace said.

"No doubt we need another developing ruckman.

"We've got Angus Graham as a developing tall ruckman as a rookie and he's coming along and developing well.

"He's only played half-a-dozen games of VFL football at this stage, so to jump in straight into AFL football is an enormous ask."

Wallace said the Tigers had been hit hard this season by injuries to experienced players Troy Simmonds, Trent Knobel and Ray Hall, leaving youngster Adam Pattison to cover the ruck load.

But with No.1 ruckman Simmonds 28 years old, injury-prone St Kilda discard Knobel rarely making it onto the field for the Tigers and Hall only a makeshift option, it is in future seasons the club could feel the pinch more.

With the Tigers' young list not expected to peak for several years and 21-year-old Pattison shaping as more of a key position player than a ruckman, Miller said Richmond could have to go to the trade table.

"As Terry said before our goal-to-goal line height and strength is okay," Miller said.

"Where we're deficient, we've got to look at maybe through a trade or through the pre-season draft, is adding to our height in the ruck division.

"That's an area where we're certainly deficient in numbers."

http://news.realfooty.com.au/tigers-on-lookout-for-another-ruckman/20074408-bno.html

[letsgetiton!]

richmond are liars, you dont need a top ruckman, thats a cop out.

i remeber a couple of yrs ago when mooney rucked teh yr for geelong, he killed it and the geelong midfield were on fire

now we have no ruckan, so what, all we need is someone to stand up and compete, then its up to our soft midfield to get the ball.

there is no rule that say our onballers cant rove the opposition tap outs.

why are our midfileders(apart from foley ) to scared to rove the opposition taps, we saw cloke predictably tap the ball and we saw blake and otto do it on teh w/e, but none of our onballers even tried and just spectated as geelong cleared away.

yes we may need a ruck, but thats not the reason why we cant get the ball out of the middle

btw, terry said all players had to fight 4 their spot, he dropped polo cops of form, lets see if he drops lids in the near future as he has only played a half of decent footy this yr v the swans

[Tigermonk]

well lets see if he drops Captain stuffup Johnson his done nothing this year if he dont then TW Miller & March are all pooh talkers

[letsgetiton!]

well lets see if he drops Captain stuffup Johnson his done nothing this year if he dont then TW Miller & March are all pooh talkers

oh but he is playing with a broken hand,lol. what a joke.

richo broke his hand and shows nmore courage heart and leadership than sugar but he was out for what 6 weeks or so

if sugar is injured he shouldnt be out there, and his form says he should be in teh coburg ressies.

if sugar does not play bog this w/e and thump burgoyne like he did a yr ago, he should quit, because after a thumping liek we had its very important that the captain stands up and leads by example

lets see what sugar is made of and lets hope it does not rain, as we all know what happens to sugar in water!!!

[Ramps]

fair chance theyll try and get a Cameron Wood in the PSD if you ask me, A wood, meesen, mcintosh any of those blokes who are out of contract will come under serious consideration.

[Gordon Bennett]

If we come last, we have a fair chance of getting one in the PSD.

Graham will never be any good, IMO. Look elsewhere.

[Hellenic Tiger]

Its not just a ruckman we need. To state the obvious of more importance
we need a few key positions and a couple of midfielders as well. Let the cull begin.

[letsgetiton!]

hard midfielders! we need midfielders that play as if they have overdosed on viagra and walked into a room full of women after being in jail for 10 yrs!

[Piping Shrike]

In that case you might find they'd struggle to concentrate on the footy.

[the_boy_jake]

What is Ray Hall still doing on the list? A last resort ruckman and a last resort KP defender.

[mightytiges]

If we come last, we have a fair chance of getting one in the PSD.

True GB. We may finally pick up a decent player in the PSD this year given the bargaining power of the No 1. pick.

[Ratman]

hard midfielders! we need midfielders that play as if they have overdosed on viagra and walked into a room full of women after being in jail for 10 yrs!

Yep. You  are right, absolutely spot on. The problem is that Wallace has it in his head that skinny flankers are going to win premierships.
Look at the draft & the focus he has taken.
Deledio- A star... in a team that has players who can get the ball. If he has to get a hard ball consistently all day forget it, his opponent will take him to the cleaners.
Tambling- Tries to go in hard, but is built like a twig.
Meyer- Who knows, this guy has never attempted to get the ball. Has skills, would like him to have a dip but looks like a HFF at best.
Patto- The reason I mention him is TW tried to kill 2 birds with one stone, ie ruckman/forward. Problem is he ain't going to cut it as either. Waste of pick.
Polo- At least he has a crack, not too bad. The better the side the better Polo would be.
McGuane- Tried to steal a KPP- smallish side- with a speculative selection, similar to Limbach who is no longer at the club. Shown glimpses this year.
05 draft- the crap continues. JON- we were told he has great skills, did they watch him play in a match or just view footage from the draft having kick to kick. His kicking is woeful. Built like a strand of hair. Hurn come on down,
Hughes- This was a fluke, was expected to be taken earlier, a likely KPP.
Casserly- Apparently has good skills, but once again a flanker.
Last draft they went for JR, Edwards, Connors, Petersen & Collins. Finally Connors is a guy who doesn't mind getting the pill. Edwards looks to have a bit of polish, exceptionally light though, lets hope he can fill out. Petersen & Collins from what I read & hear are more outside types but I won't judge them until I have seen them in the flesh. JR looks like he could be a nice get, considering we have Polak also from the first round who has shown some of the talent that had him go a pick 4 in the draft.
TW seems to look at building depth in one area speedy flankers. The top teams have second tier midfielders around the flanks who have reasonable pace, maybe not electric, but have a brain & a heart that they can use. Look at guys like J.Lewis & Hurn not speedsters but know how to win the ball not just run onto it. All these speedsters we have fly at the draft camp, unfortunately speed in football isn't about running on a basketball court when the whistle goes, I don't even recall Lids or JON running an opponent down, maybe Tambling once & I do know Matt White chases down opponents at least once a game... he has footy speed not camp speed.
Any way I'm new here so I will stop here & you guys can assess my rant, probably think I'm a sook, but I have been saying this to my mates all through last year.

[torch]

just play pattison !

[one-eyed]

fair chance theyll try and get a Cameron Wood in the PSD if you ask me, A wood, meesen, mcintosh any of those blokes who are out of contract will come under serious consideration.

Draft star issued ultimatum
By Andrew Capel and Richard Earle
Adelaide Advertiser
June 21, 2007

JOHN Meesen, Adelaide's first-round pick in the 2004 national draft, has been given 10 weeks to save his career at West Lakes.

Crows coach Neil Craig has declared he wants Meesen in Adelaide next year, but he concedes the player must show something at AFL or South Australian National Football League level before the season's end to warrant another contract.

Craig wants Meesen, who turned 21 yesterday, to follow the example of teammates Luke Jericho, Kris Massie and Ken McGregor to turn his career around.

"I think there are a lot of examples that John Meesen could look at and say 'yep, that's the way to go about it'," Craig said, noting that Jericho, Massie and McGregor had overcome the disappointment of struggling to get an AFL game to resurrect their careers.

Meesen, the No.8 overall pick at the 2004 national draft, has not played an AFL match.

He considered returning home to Victoria after the 2006 season, partly because of homesickness, before signing a new one-year deal.

He then sustained a pre-season knee injury, and he has been battling in Norwood's reserves after eight weeks out.

"It's an important part of the year for John to try to keep sound and to play some really good SANFL league footy - and hopefully some AFL footy," Craig said.

"The sooner he can get back to playing league football for Norwood, the better it will be for him. Then he's got all options open (to stay in Adelaide or ask for a trade) to him.

"But do I want him at our football club? Yes, I do."

Craig described the 200cm, 97kg player's pre-season as "outstanding", saying his movement at training in the past two weeks had been "very, very good".

Injured Crows ruckman Rhett Biglands, whom Craig said had just a "slim hope" of playing again this season after undergoing a knee reconstruction after last year's preliminary final defeat to West Coast, meanwhile said on Triple M radio that Meesen had been "working extremely hard" to make an impression before season's end.

Crows football operations manager John Reid said there was no crushing burden for Meesen, who was taken ahead of West Adelaide ruckman Cameron Wood (No.18), now with Brisbane Lions, in 2004, to justify the club's blue chip draft investment in him.

"There's no pressure," Reid said of Meesen, overtaken by rookie revelation Jonathon Griffin and 198cm Ivan Maric in Adelaide's ruck battery behind workhorse Ben Hudson.

"He's had a rotten, wretched year

"Hopefully in the second half of the season he gets in some nick.

"We will sit down with his management at the end of the year and sort (his future) out."

Craig said he hoped that Hudson and Griffin, who also are out of contract, will be 10-year players at Adelaide.

While Griffin, from Western Australia, is understood to be close to re-signing, Hudson, from Victoria via Queensland, is yet to commit to a new deal.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,,21941922-23211,00.html

[torch]

we have Pattison ...

Simmonds ... Graham ... just pick a ruckman late in the draft !!!