Angus Graham [merged]

[jackstar is back again]

something browne has in his armory that both graham and vickery dont is his ability to hit a contest hard...the latter seem very timid to me

Vickery is way too timid. Wouldnt bruise a grape

[tiga]

Why don't we bite the bullet and play Graham, Vickery and Browne. Put Gus and Browne on Ruck rotation and put Vickery permanently as another tall option in the forward line.
What have we got to lose??  It will de-midget our forward line a little and He's not a bad kick of the footy after all.

[Chuck17]

Why don't we bite the bullet and play Graham, Vickery and Browne. Put Gus and Browne on Ruck rotation and put Vickery permanently as another tall option in the forward line.
What have we got to lose??  It will de-midget our forward line a little and He's not a bad kick of the footy after all.

Cant see why not, its not as if we are going to win games this year anyway.

Might as well use the year to get as much development into the ruck area as possible

[Penelope]

If the long term plan is for vickery to be a ruckmen, then he is better off playing ruck for coburg than a permanent forward in the seniors.

As for brown, perhaps he isn't ticking the 20 boxes needed

[bojangles17]

Was very pleased with Gus last week and wanted another game like that.

Compared to Vickery he was good but I also saw some of the bads habits from last year on show last night

A really good example is his unwillingness to drop back into the goal square when the opposition is having a set shot 45-50 metres out. Twice last night Gus just stood around the centre square with hands on hips 

hmm, I would have thought it far more important for the ruckman to be ready for the kick out on the off chance the goal may be missed, but hey that's fairly radical, I mean they always go staright through right

[yellowandback]

something browne has in his armory that both graham and vickery dont is his ability to hit a contest hard...the latter seem very timid to me

Vickery is way too timid. Wouldnt bruise a grape

lucky we don't want him to make wine

[Hellenic Tiger]

Was very pleased with Gus last week and wanted another game like that.

Compared to Vickery he was good but I also saw some of the bads habits from last year on show last night

A really good example is his unwillingness to drop back into the goal square when the opposition is having a set shot 45-50 metres out. Twice last night Gus just stood around the centre square with hands on hips 

hmm, I would have thought it far more important for the ruckman to be ready for the kick out on the off chance the goal may be missed, but hey that's fairly radical, I mean they always go staright through right

I think its far more important for a ruckman to be in the square and contest on the line in case the ball drops short and hinder the Full Forwards and oppositions ruckman on marking. As for the kick outs the guy kicking out can delay until the ruckman is back in position outside the 50 I would yhink but that's just how I would coach my players.

[WilliamPowell]

Was very pleased with Gus last week and wanted another game like that.

Compared to Vickery he was good but I also saw some of the bads habits from last year on show last night

A really good example is his unwillingness to drop back into the goal square when the opposition is having a set shot 45-50 metres out. Twice last night Gus just stood around the centre square with hands on hips 

hmm, I would have thought it far more important for the ruckman to be ready for the kick out on the off chance the goal may be missed, but hey that's fairly radical, I mean they always go staright through right

I think its far more important for a ruckman to be in the square and contest on the line in case the ball drops short and hinder the Full Forwards and oppositions ruckman on marking. As for the kick outs the guy kicking out can delay until the ruckman is back in position outside the 50 I would yhink but that's just how I would coach my players.

Exactly

2 weeks in a row now 2 shots at goal have just floated through. Big man (and the other backmen I might add) back there and it would have been touched

[Penelope]

I think Bo makes a good point. For a shot that you fully expect the kicker to make the distance, the ruckman is better off to be prepared for a quick kick out than having to wait and allow the opposition time to get their zone in place. A lot more shots go offline than fall short of the expected distance the kicker can reach. It's just a matter of knowing the capabilities of your opponents.

[Smokey]

It doesn't have to be a ruckman standing on the last line.  Anyone is light years better than no-one.

[Hellenic Tiger]

It doesn't have to be a ruckman standing on the last line.  Anyone is light years better than no-one.

Jake King? 

[bojangles17]

It doesn't have to be a ruckman standing on the last line.  Anyone is light years better than no-one.

give the man a cigar

[one-eyed]

Lade's experience a boon for Graham
richmondfc.com.au
By Mic Cullen
Wed 26 May, 2010

RICHMOND ruckman Angus Graham says having a full-time ruck coach at the Tigers is a great thing for the club.

Brendon Lade came to the club as part of coach Damien Hardwick's new coaching staff at the end of the 2009 season, having just retired from Port Adelaide.

Hardwick had been an assistant coach at the Power before leaving to go to Hawthorn to work for fellow Port assistant Alastair Clarkson.

The Tigers have one veteran ruckman in Troy Simmonds, but three younger ones in Graham (23 years old), Ty Vickery (19) and Andrew Browne (19).

Graham said having someone so recently out of AFL ranks - and who is still playing local football - was invaluable in the fast-tracking of the younger players.

"He's definitely up to date with modern ruckwork, the speed of the game and patterns of play," Graham said. "He was also one for going forward and kicking goals.

"He's shown me a lot of new types of tactics and different ways of going about things since he's been here full-time - training with him over pre-season gave good continuity.

"Hopefully I can continue my good form and become a quality ruckman like he was."

Graham said Simmonds had also been a huge help in his development because he had a bigger body than the club's other two ruckmen, so he couldn't be too easily pushed around.

"He's been really good, especially over the pre-season, rucking against him day-in, day-out for the last three months over summer," Graham said.

"I've been competing against him for a few years, and that continual practice has been invaluable, because without it I wouldn't be used to rucking against bigger bodies like him.

"He still shares his experience - he's talked to me the last few weeks on gameday and through the week, and talks me through my game, so from that point-of-view he's been really positive."

The 201cm Graham played 16 games in 2009, but had to wait until round eight this year to get his first chance back in AFL ranks.

He said he thought his early season form was okay, but he just couldn't crack a game in the AFL.

"I didn't think my form was that bad, but they chose to give Troy a go early on in the year and they went with Ty," Graham said.

"My form hadn't been bad in the VFL but I just hadn't got my opportunity, but then I got my opportunity and I took it - I thought my form was good last year, but with new coaches coming in and new ways of thinking, and trying different blokes, I just waited for my chance.

"Obviously I was disappointed not to play, but I just kept training - I got good feedback, and I got told I was in the mix, but I just had to keep playing well in the VFL."

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/95083/default.aspx

[WA Tiger]

Well lets hope you can grab the bull by the horns and really turn your year around. I think Gus has done better over the past few weeks although there is still room for improvement...lots more infact.

[Smokey]

Gus's opinion of good form and mine are obviously poles apart!