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plugger66 wrote:I would still like to know where Hickey plays these 12 games or so this season. I havent got a position for him to be honest.
Ben will start in the 22 this year depending on preseason form. If hickey plays well in the seconds / Preseason and does not get smashed in the ruck he could possibly take bens spot. Lets just say it will be interesting to see them line up against each other in the intra club match
I have no idea why you would think Ben could lose his spot based on his form in the last 2 or 3 years unless of course you think Hickey will become one of the top 6 ruckmen in the AFL this year. Cant see that happening but if it does it will be great for the club and one of the greatest recruits in recent years.
Hickey to play more than 5 games this year ??? maybe/maybe not time will tell
Hickey to be better than Ben by years end ??? for the sake of the saints improving, lets hope so
Ben being fantastic for his age and better than Nic Nat, kruzer and goldtein. ???
That when Ben was in the team, he rucked for 80+% of the time ???
Our team has the second lowest hitout score in the comp ???
3 of the top 4 sides finished top 4 in the hitouts ???
Ben has not had a break out year yet, and the only reason he is playing is due to nobody better than him on our list last year ???
We are all waiting for kosi to do something like play 4 quarters consecutively but finally our coach has realised and dropped him.??? are we going to wait and hope with Ben
So its not the biggest lot of bulls*** 'ever posted' then?? 'the lot of it'????
Just because my views/opinions differ to yours, you dont have to label the biggest lot of bulls*** 'ever posted' and absolute bulls*** 'the lot of it' without any form of actual evidence, because your credibility is on the line with that outlandish statement. Your statement states that my comments are below troll level.
Your comment states that ben is better than goldstein. Have you watched the last time we played nth. Goldstein smashed Ben in the ruck 18 possies each but 46 hitouts to 24.
kreuzer coming off a knee reco in 2011, was comparable to ben but 2013 would be a good comparision of both.
Yes Nic Nat is a freak, but Nic nat plays a more critical role than Ben because it alows Cox to spend more time forward.
If rucking is not important for a ruckmen, then should we call the rucking position at st kilda the around the ground position then???.
Goldstein does little to nothing else around the ground other than win hit outs if hit outs are so important and around the ground work can be ignored why dont we get a 8 foot Ethiopian goat herder to ruck. Again NicNat is a freak but rarely pushes back to block leads or to contest the ball in the air down back. Bens edurance allows him to do that.
I think plugger66 and Curly must be related to Macca by their glowing endorsements. I can not see us improving with him playing first ruck. The club would not have recruited two more rucks if they had any faith in him. Gardi or King would have spanked him easily in their prime. Backline or Sandringham for mine.
evo wrote:I think plugger66 and Curly must be related to Macca by their glowing endorsements. I can not see us improving with him playing first ruck. The club would not have recruited two more rucks if they had any faith in him. Gardi or King would have spanked him easily in their prime. Backline or Sandringham for mine.
Not related at all but unlike some on here i watch games and also realise most ruckmen take years to develop and he is going very well for someone his age. Under your theory i have no idea why WCE got Nic Nat.
evo wrote:I think plugger66 and Curly must be related to Macca by their glowing endorsements. I can not see us improving with him playing first ruck. The club would not have recruited two more rucks if they had any faith in him. Gardi or King would have spanked him easily in their prime. Backline or Sandringham for mine.
Id rather a ruckman taking contested marks across the full back line than running around like a headless chook after contesting the ruck.
All I know is Rhys can no longer cruise the club as the 'next big thing' rockstar who has never played a gig and Kosi can no longer get a game every week - because 'he is tall can pinch hit in the ruck'.
These days are gone! These tall fellas now have to perform to get a game like everyone else. This is a big change from the last 2 years.
At least Rhys wins his share of the ruck duels, Ben is just a witch's hat at the ball ups. This years new ruck rules will make this more obvious even to those with blind faith.
evo wrote:At least Rhys wins his share of the ruck duels, Ben is just a witch's hat at the ball ups. This years new ruck rules will make this even more obvious to those with blind faith.
Now that first statement about Ben just isnt true which makes it a lie IMO and the new rules will make bugger all difference. Maybe the most overated rule this year. What will make a difference is next year when they have 80 interchange rotations and Ben is one of the fittest ruckment in the AFL.
Con Gorozidis wrote:All I know is Rhys can no longer cruise the club as the 'next big thing' rockstar who has never played a gig and Kosi can no longer get a game every week - because 'he is tall can pinch hit in the ruck'.
These days are gone! These tall fellas now have to perform to get a game like everyone else. This is a big change from the last 2 years.
When was Stanley getting a regular gig prior to last year? Doesn't make sense.
Holder of unacceptable views and other thought crimes.
Con Gorozidis wrote:All I know is Rhys can no longer cruise the club as the 'next big thing' rockstar who has never played a gig and Kosi can no longer get a game every week - because 'he is tall can pinch hit in the ruck'.
These days are gone! These tall fellas now have to perform to get a game like everyone else. This is a big change from the last 2 years.
When was Stanley getting a regular gig prior to last year? Doesn't make sense.
Makes sense to me. There was a sense Stanley would waltz into the side when Kosi retired and when one of ben or Kosi was injured - Rhys naturally got a game immediately. This presumption is now less certain.
Im saying the dynamic has changed. Im not having a go at Rhys by the way. Just saying the psychological and practical dynamic has changed dramatically for the tall fellas.
There was all this talk about Rhys being the next big star and being the next Roo etc etc.
I dont know the guy and have no idea if it went to his head - but whether it did or not no longer matters. Only results matter now.
Same goes for Kosi - who got plenty of games when he was underdone, sick, injured, tired or whatever.
I dont believe that kind of thing will happen from now on.
evo wrote:At least Rhys wins his share of the ruck duels, Ben is just a witch's hat at the ball ups. This years new ruck rules will make this even more obvious to those with blind faith.
Now that first statement about Ben just isnt true which makes it a lie IMO and the new rules will make bugger all difference. Maybe the most overated rule this year. What will make a difference is next year when they have 80 interchange rotations and Ben is one of the fittest ruckment in the AFL.
Does not matter how fit he is, he still cant jump more than an inch off the ground and rarely taps to advantage.
evo wrote:At least Rhys wins his share of the ruck duels, Ben is just a witch's hat at the ball ups. This years new ruck rules will make this even more obvious to those with blind faith.
Now that first statement about Ben just isnt true which makes it a lie IMO and the new rules will make bugger all difference. Maybe the most overated rule this year. What will make a difference is next year when they have 80 interchange rotations and Ben is one of the fittest ruckment in the AFL.
Does not matter how fit he is, he still cant jump more than an inch off the ground and rarely taps to advantage.
Surely there is more to being a ruckman than that. He does everything else required as a ruckman very well already and will continue to improve his ruck work.
evo wrote:Please explain! Sitting on the interchange bench is all I can think of.
I would have thought work around the ground and especially in our backline is nearly the most important considering we are a tall short down there. Also making room for the onballers in pack situations and of course ruck work and very occasionally pushing forward.
Now how was Cox and sandilands going at 22 years of age?
If we had a big FB his work around the ground would be superfluous. So what you are saying is he is ordinary in the ruck but he can play the loose defender well.
evo wrote:If we had a big FB his work around the ground would be superfluous. So what you are saying is he is ordinary in the ruck but he can play the loose defender well.
No when did I say that? And I have answered your questions. Can you tell me how Cox and Sandilands were going at 22 years of age?
evo wrote:If we had a big FB his work around the ground would be superfluous. So what you are saying is he is ordinary in the ruck but he can play the loose defender well.
No when did I say that? And I have answered your questions. Can you tell me how Cox and Sandilands were going at 22 years of age?
ROLS-LEE wrote:If hickey plays well in the seconds / Preseason and does not get smashed in the ruck he could possibly take bens spot.
Hickey could only play 12 games across two years for a team which finished 17th each year. It's a long way from there to being the number one ruck for a side which could play finals.
So mcevoy plays for sandy once "hickey takes his spot"???
Right, because you can't have 2 rucks...
Mcevoy is still young, and developing.
His tap work needs improvement, when I say that, he needs to win more ruck contests , because his efficiency when he does win is good.
Hickey may well take the "no.1 ruck spot",
But that wont be for a few years.
Mcevoy is one of the best "around the ground" ruckmen out there, if anyone thinks he won't be in our best 22 once hickey develops, is a fool.
He can play forward or back. He can run all day.
To those questioning his leadership qualities,
Well he has been voted by the players into the leadership group last year, doesn't that tell you something...
He captained the Murray bushrangers( and won the b&f while doing so).
Named captain of the TAC cup all star squad, at centre half fwd, with kruezer in the ruck.
