Ruckman - we have none! | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Ruckman - we have none!

crackertiger

crackertiger

Swan street 2017
Jan 4, 2003
3,456
882
melbourne
Last nights effort was very ordinary I have to agree with most peoples sentiments. However the one thing that was so glaringly obvious to me was how poor our Rucks were. Steven King and Michael Gardiner just pushed our Rucks aside like little school kids in the play ground. Their impact and palm work at every stoppage just put us to shame. Apart from Foley our midfield was extremely poor last night, but their job was so much harder because they were chasing arse all night due to the Saints Ruck dominance.

It was a completely embarrassing performance! >:(

Simmonds = comming back from injury out of form.

Cartledge = not up to it.

Pattison = not a ruckman.


I think we need to bring on Graham and Putt before their time because even though they aren't ready, they couldn't possibly be any worse then the Rucks we already have!


I'm heading the to Coburg practice match today and I hope Coughlan, Putt and Graham are playing.
 
crackertiger said:
Last nights effort was very ordinary I have to agree with most peoples sentiments. However the one thing that was so glaringly obvious to me was how poor our Rucks were. Steven King and Michael Gardiner just pushed our Rucks aside like little school kids in the play ground. Their impact and palm work at every stoppage just put us to shame. Apart from Foley our midfield was extremely poor last night, but their job was so much harder because they were chasing arse all night due to the Saints Ruck dominance.

It was a completely embarrassing performance! >:(

Simmonds = comming back from injury out of form. 196cm

Cartledge = not up to it.

Pattison = not a ruckman. 197cm


I think we need to bring on Graham and Putt before their time because even though they aren't ready, they couldn't possibly be any worse then the Rucks we already have!


I'm heading the to Coburg practice match today and I hope Coughlan, Putt and Graham are playing.
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Our two first choice ruckmen are simply not tall enough...that's it in a nutshell

PS What is Patterson if he's not a ruckman? He's certainly not a forward as he cant kick. In fact I know the answer...he's a future VFL player. But in the the short to medium term he's our back up ruckman that gets smashed in the ruck every week.
 
crackertiger said:
I'm heading the to Coburg practice match today and I hope Coughlan, Putt and Graham are playing.
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I'll be looking forward to some sort of description of the game Cracker.
 
Well if you expect to recruit "run and carry" flankers again and again you cannot expect to have a decent ruck division.

We have over looked ruckamn with our draft picks again and again. In fact we have not taken one between 2004 and 2008 (except Putt at 51 last year) in the main draft.

We only recruit them on the rookie list - Graham, Cartiledge etc.
 
Bennnny said:
Patterson got us going in the 3rd quarter. When he went off we dropped off.
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I agree. When he's in there, we do look more dangerous. Probably because our midfielders are used to Pattison's ruckwork.

Simmonds will be better for the run though. I'd expect him to be firing for Round 1.

Cartledge tried but is he up to it? Who cares, he's a rookie...insurance only. Angus Graham is next in line, regardless.
 
Bennnny said:
Patterson got us going in the 3rd quarter. When he went off we dropped off.
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I agree Bennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnny. I thought Pattison got us some first use in that qtr.
 
Out of the few positives last night, I thought Pattisons tapwork was excellent against 2 accomplished ruckmen.
 
King Thursfield Moore
Bowden Polak/Shulz McMahon
Polo Caughlan Newman
Morton Riewolt Pettifer
Brown Richo Shulz/Polak
Simmonds Deledio Foley
Int- Tuck, Patto, Edwards, Tambling

Em McGuanne, Connors, Casserly, Graham, Jackson

I'll still pay money to see these guys play each week if they line up like this
 
Pattison was okay in bursts. That clearance to himself where he ran on to the ball and dished to Tivendale for a goal was really good.

It's no coincidence that Tuck moved into the centre square in the third quarter and we started to get some meaningful clearances.

But Pattison's kicking was probably better than that of most Richmond players on the night. Mind you the Saints were probably sagging off him we he got the ball. But there was a clear and significant improvement.

So who have we got?

Simmonds is massively underdone. No panic here.

Pattison was okay. Not a bad third choice, project or back up player IMO.

Gus is out with the ankle. He's probably worth a shot at the #2 slot. Along wit Patto. We're weak here, sure, but we're building.

Cartledge is a plodder but a young one. He's only a year older than Patto. Not a bad project player.

And Dean Putt is a good athlete of the right proportions with okay skills and good hands. He is a step in the right direction.

The bloke we haven't replaced is Trent Knobel. And we all know what a dud he was, eh? Knobel could get the good stuff- air- and could palm the ball to advantage. He could hurt opposition rucks physically or if need be negate them. He stopped us getting smashed at the ruck contests.

At last we have a few project players who can learn that caper in his absence. Tey have the opportunity and there are enough of them to guarantee fierce competition for the role.

You can't recruit Dean Cox. He's tied up forever. But you can get a ruckman of the next class.

How would it be if we'd spent selection #19 on a player who walks into our number one ruck slot, a player who led the comp in clearances (by a ruck) in 07 and led his club outright? All that coming off an ACL.

Ben Hudson would have been ours for #19. But we took a development path with our own rucks. In three years time when Hudson is 32, we'll be a lot better off for that choice.
 
Interesting thread.

King and Gardiner had about 25 hitouts between them last night and only 5 were directly to the Saints advantage (official stats).

Don't know the total hitouts for RFC or those to our advantage but Patto had two directly to our advantage that I saw. The one to himself and the one he put down Foleys throat.

Thought he was quite good last night.
 
WesternTiger said:
Interesting thread.

King and Gardiner had about 25 hitouts between them last night and only 5 were directly to the Saints advantage (official stats).

Don't know the total hitouts for RFC or those to our advantage but Patto had two directly to our advantage that I saw. The one to himself and the one he put down Foleys throat.

Thought he was quite good last night.
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I have never been a fan of Patto's ruck work but accepted that he was playing out of position and way too early in his development. However he has obviously worked pretty hard over the pre season as I also thought he was quite good last night
 
I think Jack Dyer's summary was good. Simmonds will get better every week now - and Patto is definitely a prospect. I really liked his work in the middle. I was more concerned with the fact that the three other mid-fielders were more concerned with tagging than trying to win a clearance.
 
We get it already. Stop posting it in every thread.
[/quote]

Sorry, just trying to make a point that there is still plenty to look forward to. Yes Friday night was disappointing but PREnders going into meltdown is premature. There are several players to come into the side that are in our best 22. Also, we had a bad night.

The list is better than Friday night showed or the wooden spoon for that matter. Expect 7 - 10 wins with the cattle we have and more if we do well with injuries and get some momentum going. In other words...................9th in 2008!
 
bowden4president said:
I have never been a fan of Patto's ruck work but accepted that he was playing out of position and way too early in his development. However he has obviously worked pretty hard over the pre season as I also thought he was quite good last night
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The problem last year was we were flogged in the midfield - number 16 in inside 50's according to the stats gurus.
Friday we didnt get our rucks hands on the ball much and then gave away lots of frees at the centre bounces, scragging or holding frees, 4 frees against Johnson, some against all midfielders probably at least 8-10 at ball ups and throw ins.
So with losing the ruck, frees and then poorish disposal we were stuffed in improving getting the ball into our 50.
Also we gave away frees for hands in the back and chopping the arms, its a rule that the umps pay and any professional team would know that and respect that it will be paid.
And we were out tackled, several frees for dropping, incorrectly disposing of the footyagainst us not many for us tackling the Saints.
Raines, Mcmahon, Jackson, Johnson all played midfield and werent effective, same as the rucks except for Pattisons cameo. Tuck, Tivendale and Hyde were more effective.
It was a bit sad that we hadn't improved in the areas that were poor last year and so I am a bit worried that we wont be competitive again this year. Even in 2006 when we went OK we didnt compete well against the top four teams.
 
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