Position Rucks Discussion
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Thanks for that info, not encouraging. His career marking avg is 1.7 per game over 65 games, hmmm, not a lot.
He's only priced $260,900 and STK's 1st ruckman, so he should still make some money
I will have to watch the JLT games and see for myself.
He's only priced $260,900 and STK's 1st ruckman, so he should still make some money
I will have to watch the JLT games and see for myself.
Because of the new rule changes, there's a suggestion that teams may play 2 rucks this year, so maybe both will play?
Pierce is 24yo and 203cm and $235,600
Lewis Pierce signs a new one-year deal to remain at St Kilda in 2019.
Pierce lined up for the final three games of St Kilda's 2018 season and showed his competitiveness at the level.
"I was given the opportunity to prove myself at AFL level those last few weeks of the season and I am really keen to repay the faith the club has shown in me," Pierce said.
"I'm confident that with another pre-season behind me I'll be able to put my best foot forward and really push my case for more senior football."
Dinny Navaratnam for AFL.com.au
Pierce is 24yo and 203cm and $235,600
Lewis Pierce signs a new one-year deal to remain at St Kilda in 2019.
Pierce lined up for the final three games of St Kilda's 2018 season and showed his competitiveness at the level.
"I was given the opportunity to prove myself at AFL level those last few weeks of the season and I am really keen to repay the faith the club has shown in me," Pierce said.
"I'm confident that with another pre-season behind me I'll be able to put my best foot forward and really push my case for more senior football."
Dinny Navaratnam for AFL.com.au
SuperCoach Analysis: Premium Rucks
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/su...s/news-story/9960ad9f3f211399bfcb180aa97783d3
BRODIE GRUNDY | COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES | $708,200 | 130.5 avg. in 2018
If not for Max Gawn, Grundy would have been the runaway best-performed ruckman last season. Grundy is a true ‘follower’ in that he seems to bob up all over the ground — his ability to run with the ball, kick it accurately, clunk it cleanly, and put it down the throat of his plethora of midfielders while playing an average of over 106 minutes per game sets him apart as a unique player. He won’t be a unique SuperCoach selection though; many players won’t think twice at committing over $700,000 of their $10 million salary cap on the Magpies’ ruckman, and they’ll be rewarded with consistent performances as a result. In selecting Grundy, you’re essentially picking up a ninth midfielder.
MAX GAWN | MELBOURNE DEMONS | $692,100 | 127.5 avg. in 2018
The reigning AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year, Gawn was everywhere for the Dees in 2018 — he drifted forward and impacted the scoreboard earlier in the season, and then once Jake Lever went down with a season-ending ACL, he was more often than not found clunking strong marks in the back half of the ground to cut off attacking opposition forward momentum. All the while he absolutely dominated his primary ruck role, having more hit-outs than anyone in the competition has ever had in a single season. Will 2019 be a different story, with Brayden Preuss joining him at the Demons? It’s been mooted that they will wax and wane together as a ruck / forward pairing working in combination, so it might be worth waiting to see how that works out during the pre-season before committing almost $700,000 of salary cap towards Gawn.
STEFAN MARTIN | BRISBANE LIONS | $573,700 | 105.7 avg. in 2018
A model of consistency since joining the Lions from the Demons, Martin has played every home and away match for the last two seasons, and in 2018 his seasonal average has been trending upwards in that time, going from 89.7 to 98.2 in 2017, and then on to 105.7 last year. It’s heading back to where he was in 2014-15, when he averaged over 110 points a game. He opens the season against West Coast, a team he traditionally scores well against, and with a projected score some 15 points higher than his break-even, he looms as a minimum $120,000 saving compared to Grundy and Gawn for a likely not too dissimilar output.
BEN McEVOY | HAWTHORN HAWKS | $553,100 | 101.9 avg. in 2018
‘Big Boy’ is another standalone ruck standard — there’s not much competition for his role at the Hawks, despite both Jonathon Ceglar and Marc Pittonet being more than capable. McEvoy is another ruckman who seems to benefit having the pressure on him to perform, and on 17 occasions he lead the line for the Hawks, only once dropping below 70 SuperCoach points, and topping 100 eight times, seven of those being 110+ point games. In terms of average along, 2018 was his best scoring SuperCoach season since 2012, and his second best overall. There’s no reason to believe he can’t match that in 2019, making him an easy selection as a premium ruck option. But will Tom Mitchell’s absence impact his hit-outs to advantage, a stat in which McEvoy excels at?
JUSTIN WESTHOFF | PORT ADELAIDE POWER | $549,500 | 101.2 avg. in 2018 | RUC / FWD
Calling Westhoff a RUCK / FWD is doing a disservice to a player who appears to be just as capable of slotting in on the wing as he is playing the ‘loose’ down back and intercepting everything that comes within his reach. #fearthebeard doesn’t just apply to Max Gawn; the ‘Hoff has become such a consistent weapon that it is reasonable to expect that he will be a favoured selection in either of his available Dual Position Player positions. With the addition of West Coast premiership ruckman Scott Lycett to lend support to Patrick Ryder, Westhoff could find himself with even more license to roam than he’s had previously. With a breakeven of under 100 to start the season, he’s worth every salary cap cent of $550,000 … and you’ll still have $500 change.
TODD GOLDSTEIN | NORTH MELBOURNE KANGAROOS | $548,000 | 101.0 avg. in 2018
There has been a perception that Goldstein has been on the wain for some time, but while he hasn’t been able to replicate his high-water season of 2015, when he averaged 128.5 SuperCoach points per game, last year saw him return to an average over 100 after a lacklustre 2017. Goldstein is the epitome of consistent — he played every game in 2018, only dipped below 70 points on three occasions, but almost as importantly smashed out 14 scores of over 100, with ten of those 110+, with six of those coming after the bye round. As the lone ruckman in the North line-up, he’s a set-and-forget option who’s pointscoring could arguably increase with the additions of Jared Polec, Dom Tyson and Aaron Hall at his feet.
TOBY NANKERVIS | RICHMOND TIGERS | $533,000 | 98.2 avg. in 2018
At times in 2017 and 2018 it felt like if Nankervis wasn’t rucking, then Richmond didn’t actually have a ruckman at all — when ostensible midfielder Shaun Grigg is your ‘support slot’, it’s no surprise that Nankervis averaged over 100 minutes per game on-ground in those years. If anything, his 2018 was even more impressive than his first year in yellow and black in 2017, with his SuperCoach average jumping over 10 points per game, with nine totals of over 100 points a game compared to seven, but only two scores below 70 compared to the previous year’s five. He’s a safe bet as Richmond really don’t have anyone else to rely upon in the ruck.
AARON SANDILANDS | FREMANTLE DOCKERS | $529,000 | 97.5 avg. in 2018
Only playing 11 games in 2018, the ‘Human Tree’ remains a premium ruck choice because when he is able to get on the park there’s few ruckmen as dominant as he can be. He had four scores of over 100 SuperCoach points, and three of those exceeded 130. With a breakeven opening Round 1 of 96 points to not lose any value, selecting Sandilands is fraught with danger, with the likes of Rory Lobb set to take up some of his minutes in the middle. That doesn’t even count Sean Darcy as a likely competitor for a secondary ruck role, which could see the 37 year old Sandi used sparingly to preserve his aching body. Pick him with risk.
CALLUM SINCLAIR | SYDNEY SWANS | $528,000 | 97.3 avg. in 2018
For the first time in his career, Sinclair played the lead role in all 22 home and away matches, increasing his average score per round by almost 20 SuperCoach points. Prior to last season, Sinclair had never played more than 17 times in a season, and have never lead from the ruck, instead primarily playing a support role. Sinclair hit the 100 point marker in half of his 22 appearances in 2018, but most important went 120+ in five of those. The big knock on his coming year ahead is that it’s likely that Sam Naismith will more than compete for his starting ruck roll, relegating Sinclair to a more forward-focused role. His average per game could plummet if this is the case.
NIC NAITANUI | WEST COAST EAGLES | $524,400 | 96.6 avg. in 2018
Anyone starting with the high-flying Fijian is picking on reputation alone — sadly, Naitanui will be missing for the majority of the 2018 season, following on from his knee injury and ACL reconstruction in Round 17 against the Pies at the MCG. At this stage, he is targeting a mid-year return in Eagles’ colours, around about the Round 15 mark, after his previous knee knack saw him miss over 18 months of footy after tearing the ACL in his other knee in late 2016. There are no such fears th
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/su...s/news-story/9960ad9f3f211399bfcb180aa97783d3
BRODIE GRUNDY | COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES | $708,200 | 130.5 avg. in 2018
If not for Max Gawn, Grundy would have been the runaway best-performed ruckman last season. Grundy is a true ‘follower’ in that he seems to bob up all over the ground — his ability to run with the ball, kick it accurately, clunk it cleanly, and put it down the throat of his plethora of midfielders while playing an average of over 106 minutes per game sets him apart as a unique player. He won’t be a unique SuperCoach selection though; many players won’t think twice at committing over $700,000 of their $10 million salary cap on the Magpies’ ruckman, and they’ll be rewarded with consistent performances as a result. In selecting Grundy, you’re essentially picking up a ninth midfielder.
MAX GAWN | MELBOURNE DEMONS | $692,100 | 127.5 avg. in 2018
The reigning AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year, Gawn was everywhere for the Dees in 2018 — he drifted forward and impacted the scoreboard earlier in the season, and then once Jake Lever went down with a season-ending ACL, he was more often than not found clunking strong marks in the back half of the ground to cut off attacking opposition forward momentum. All the while he absolutely dominated his primary ruck role, having more hit-outs than anyone in the competition has ever had in a single season. Will 2019 be a different story, with Brayden Preuss joining him at the Demons? It’s been mooted that they will wax and wane together as a ruck / forward pairing working in combination, so it might be worth waiting to see how that works out during the pre-season before committing almost $700,000 of salary cap towards Gawn.
STEFAN MARTIN | BRISBANE LIONS | $573,700 | 105.7 avg. in 2018
A model of consistency since joining the Lions from the Demons, Martin has played every home and away match for the last two seasons, and in 2018 his seasonal average has been trending upwards in that time, going from 89.7 to 98.2 in 2017, and then on to 105.7 last year. It’s heading back to where he was in 2014-15, when he averaged over 110 points a game. He opens the season against West Coast, a team he traditionally scores well against, and with a projected score some 15 points higher than his break-even, he looms as a minimum $120,000 saving compared to Grundy and Gawn for a likely not too dissimilar output.
BEN McEVOY | HAWTHORN HAWKS | $553,100 | 101.9 avg. in 2018
‘Big Boy’ is another standalone ruck standard — there’s not much competition for his role at the Hawks, despite both Jonathon Ceglar and Marc Pittonet being more than capable. McEvoy is another ruckman who seems to benefit having the pressure on him to perform, and on 17 occasions he lead the line for the Hawks, only once dropping below 70 SuperCoach points, and topping 100 eight times, seven of those being 110+ point games. In terms of average along, 2018 was his best scoring SuperCoach season since 2012, and his second best overall. There’s no reason to believe he can’t match that in 2019, making him an easy selection as a premium ruck option. But will Tom Mitchell’s absence impact his hit-outs to advantage, a stat in which McEvoy excels at?
JUSTIN WESTHOFF | PORT ADELAIDE POWER | $549,500 | 101.2 avg. in 2018 | RUC / FWD
Calling Westhoff a RUCK / FWD is doing a disservice to a player who appears to be just as capable of slotting in on the wing as he is playing the ‘loose’ down back and intercepting everything that comes within his reach. #fearthebeard doesn’t just apply to Max Gawn; the ‘Hoff has become such a consistent weapon that it is reasonable to expect that he will be a favoured selection in either of his available Dual Position Player positions. With the addition of West Coast premiership ruckman Scott Lycett to lend support to Patrick Ryder, Westhoff could find himself with even more license to roam than he’s had previously. With a breakeven of under 100 to start the season, he’s worth every salary cap cent of $550,000 … and you’ll still have $500 change.
TODD GOLDSTEIN | NORTH MELBOURNE KANGAROOS | $548,000 | 101.0 avg. in 2018
There has been a perception that Goldstein has been on the wain for some time, but while he hasn’t been able to replicate his high-water season of 2015, when he averaged 128.5 SuperCoach points per game, last year saw him return to an average over 100 after a lacklustre 2017. Goldstein is the epitome of consistent — he played every game in 2018, only dipped below 70 points on three occasions, but almost as importantly smashed out 14 scores of over 100, with ten of those 110+, with six of those coming after the bye round. As the lone ruckman in the North line-up, he’s a set-and-forget option who’s pointscoring could arguably increase with the additions of Jared Polec, Dom Tyson and Aaron Hall at his feet.
TOBY NANKERVIS | RICHMOND TIGERS | $533,000 | 98.2 avg. in 2018
At times in 2017 and 2018 it felt like if Nankervis wasn’t rucking, then Richmond didn’t actually have a ruckman at all — when ostensible midfielder Shaun Grigg is your ‘support slot’, it’s no surprise that Nankervis averaged over 100 minutes per game on-ground in those years. If anything, his 2018 was even more impressive than his first year in yellow and black in 2017, with his SuperCoach average jumping over 10 points per game, with nine totals of over 100 points a game compared to seven, but only two scores below 70 compared to the previous year’s five. He’s a safe bet as Richmond really don’t have anyone else to rely upon in the ruck.
AARON SANDILANDS | FREMANTLE DOCKERS | $529,000 | 97.5 avg. in 2018
Only playing 11 games in 2018, the ‘Human Tree’ remains a premium ruck choice because when he is able to get on the park there’s few ruckmen as dominant as he can be. He had four scores of over 100 SuperCoach points, and three of those exceeded 130. With a breakeven opening Round 1 of 96 points to not lose any value, selecting Sandilands is fraught with danger, with the likes of Rory Lobb set to take up some of his minutes in the middle. That doesn’t even count Sean Darcy as a likely competitor for a secondary ruck role, which could see the 37 year old Sandi used sparingly to preserve his aching body. Pick him with risk.
CALLUM SINCLAIR | SYDNEY SWANS | $528,000 | 97.3 avg. in 2018
For the first time in his career, Sinclair played the lead role in all 22 home and away matches, increasing his average score per round by almost 20 SuperCoach points. Prior to last season, Sinclair had never played more than 17 times in a season, and have never lead from the ruck, instead primarily playing a support role. Sinclair hit the 100 point marker in half of his 22 appearances in 2018, but most important went 120+ in five of those. The big knock on his coming year ahead is that it’s likely that Sam Naismith will more than compete for his starting ruck roll, relegating Sinclair to a more forward-focused role. His average per game could plummet if this is the case.
NIC NAITANUI | WEST COAST EAGLES | $524,400 | 96.6 avg. in 2018
Anyone starting with the high-flying Fijian is picking on reputation alone — sadly, Naitanui will be missing for the majority of the 2018 season, following on from his knee injury and ACL reconstruction in Round 17 against the Pies at the MCG. At this stage, he is targeting a mid-year return in Eagles’ colours, around about the Round 15 mark, after his previous knee knack saw him miss over 18 months of footy after tearing the ACL in his other knee in late 2016. There are no such fears th
No it doesn't. The breakevens for R1 shown on the site don't (and can't really) take into account the drop in the MN that occurs in R3 as that's calculated off the actual player scores up to that point. If every player came out and scored what they are priced at for season start (rookies included - eg. 23 pts or whatever it is) then theoretically the MN won't move much and the BE of 100 will stay the same through R3.
Here are the SC averages of the highest scoring rucks since 2009. I believe the stats are correct as i copied them from this site over the past few seasons. I don't have complete stats outside the top 4 rucks.
2009:
Cox 111
Sandilands 101
Clark 94
Jolly 93
2010:
Sandilands 114
Mumford 93
Bradley 90
Cox 88
2011:
Cox 122
Mumford 115
Goldstein 114
Sandilands 112
2012:
Naitanui 114
Sandilands 113
Maric 113
Cox 112
2013:
Minson 114
Goldstein 114
Cox 107 (edited in for correct stats).
Kreuzer 98
2014:
Jacobs 115
Mumford 114
Martin 111
Sandilands 108
2015:
Goldy 129
Martin 111
Sandilands 108 (edited in for correct stats).
Jacobs 108
2016:
Gawn 118
Goldy 108
Naitanui 106
Mumford 99
2017:
Kreuzer 110
Ryder 103
Martin 98
Grundy 97
2018:
Grundy 130
Gawn 127
Martin 105
McEvoy 102
The "Rate my Team" thread has great conversation and different perspectives on whether or not to start Grundy. Maybe we can have a mod move the conversation here so it's all in the one thread?
Personally, i think both Grundy and Gawn will come back to the field (maybe 10-20ppg) and others will improve on last season in terms of SC output. Either or both could break the trend and go 115+, no doubt they are both capable but as history shows, it's very difficult to maintain such a high output in the rucks.
2009:
Cox 111
Sandilands 101
Clark 94
Jolly 93
2010:
Sandilands 114
Mumford 93
Bradley 90
Cox 88
2011:
Cox 122
Mumford 115
Goldstein 114
Sandilands 112
2012:
Naitanui 114
Sandilands 113
Maric 113
Cox 112
2013:
Minson 114
Goldstein 114
Cox 107 (edited in for correct stats).
Kreuzer 98
2014:
Jacobs 115
Mumford 114
Martin 111
Sandilands 108
2015:
Goldy 129
Martin 111
Sandilands 108 (edited in for correct stats).
Jacobs 108
2016:
Gawn 118
Goldy 108
Naitanui 106
Mumford 99
2017:
Kreuzer 110
Ryder 103
Martin 98
Grundy 97
2018:
Grundy 130
Gawn 127
Martin 105
McEvoy 102
The "Rate my Team" thread has great conversation and different perspectives on whether or not to start Grundy. Maybe we can have a mod move the conversation here so it's all in the one thread?
Personally, i think both Grundy and Gawn will come back to the field (maybe 10-20ppg) and others will improve on last season in terms of SC output. Either or both could break the trend and go 115+, no doubt they are both capable but as history shows, it's very difficult to maintain such a high output in the rucks.
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Right lads bit of a left of field choice and I’m mostly spitballing here but I wouldn’t mind discussing Tom Hickey as a possible R2. There’s been absolutely no mention of him yet and I wanted to have a look into why that is. Change of club with increased opportunity with an extremely well drilled midfield brigade should in theory see his points increase.
If we remove his injury affected round 20 game last season, he averaged 25 Hitouts (34.2 HTA %) and 15 disposals across the season, matched only by Grundy, Gawn, Stef & Nank, Pretty good company and a relatively impressive stat I would think.
So my biggest question in him is why hasn’t it translated into SC points? I must admit that I’ve seen very little of him play so it’s hard for me to form a solid opinion on him. However, I think it largely has to do with the quality of the midfield at his feet, Gold Coast in its infancy and I’ve stated my opinion of Saints having the weakest midfield in the comp over the last few years, means he’s probably rucked to the weakest midfields in the game for his entire career.
He’s an interesting one for me, much maligned at the Saints and I would have quite confidently made the call that he was both more talented and performing better than Longer in recent years, yet they chose to move him on instead.
Appears he’ll be the clear #1 at least until NN returns as The Eagles have shown they prefer Vardy as a forward.
Again just spitballing here but I’m very keen to hear what some other coaches takes are on him.
If we remove his injury affected round 20 game last season, he averaged 25 Hitouts (34.2 HTA %) and 15 disposals across the season, matched only by Grundy, Gawn, Stef & Nank, Pretty good company and a relatively impressive stat I would think.
So my biggest question in him is why hasn’t it translated into SC points? I must admit that I’ve seen very little of him play so it’s hard for me to form a solid opinion on him. However, I think it largely has to do with the quality of the midfield at his feet, Gold Coast in its infancy and I’ve stated my opinion of Saints having the weakest midfield in the comp over the last few years, means he’s probably rucked to the weakest midfields in the game for his entire career.
He’s an interesting one for me, much maligned at the Saints and I would have quite confidently made the call that he was both more talented and performing better than Longer in recent years, yet they chose to move him on instead.
Appears he’ll be the clear #1 at least until NN returns as The Eagles have shown they prefer Vardy as a forward.
Again just spitballing here but I’m very keen to hear what some other coaches takes are on him.
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He looked good at times for us and also put in some absolute shockers. No doubt you're right that a fresh start with a much better midfield and ruck coaching team will be to his benefit. With NicNat coming back at some point he has to work as a cash cow I guess, and at 485k that's pretty tough. He could work as a kind of 'placeholder' until the top rucks show themselves, but personally I'd rather gamble on a Goldstein type for ~60k more who I think has a legit chance of being a keeper, or going down to a Longer/Naismith type who has a chance to make some proper money.