Mick Malthouse rates the most influential ruckmen in the AFL

Rating the most important big men in the competition, Mick Malthouse has Toby Nankervis a lot higher than most. But he has one big fear for the lion-hearted Tiger. SEE MICK’S TOP 10

Brodie Grundy of the Magpies.

To go into a football match without a competitive ruckman or ruck combination is to enter a battlefield without a tank.

West Coast would not have won last year’s premiership without Scott Lycett and Nathan Vardy limiting the dominance of Magpie giant Brodie Grundy, nor would Richmond have won the cup in 2017 without the magnificent Toby Nankervis.

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Some would pick a long list of players ahead of Darren Jolly as Collingwood’s 2010 premiership best, but I can tell you that the big man in the middle was the key to our success. Likewise Paul Harding with the Eagles in 1992. In 1994 we used the two-way rotation of Ryan Turnbull and David Hynes to beat Geelong ruck John Barnes.

Unlike Peter Moore, Jim Stynes, Gary Dempsey, Len Thompson and Scott Wynd, these days ruckmen don’t win the Brownlow Medal (although I’ve tipped Grundy to do it this year) but they do help win premierships.

Never underestimate the value of the ruckman. Once upon a time a dominant ruckman was necessary but not essential, because a game could be won through massive ground ball control. The importance of the big man is creeping back into today’s game, particularly with the new 6-6-6 rule. A good big man is essential.

This season there have been some amazing “invisible” stats accumulated by these big men that may surprise, so I have compiled a list of the most potent ruckmen, or ruck combinations, in the league. I have left out the injured Aaron Sandilands and Nic Naitanui.

But first, the stats. While numbers can sometimes be misleading, if a player is consistently in the top few for each of these categories, then he is no doubt a player of influence.

By the end of Round 4, Gold Coast’s Jarrod Witts had the highest hitouts per game average (44). He doesn’t get attention here because he is a Queensland player, but the 26-year-old has been a revelation for the Suns.

Brodie Grundy is the best ruckman in the game.

Remember, ruckmen have historically needed time to mature. There are exceptions of course, but it is rare for them to have a full box of tricks in their early 20s. It is more common for rucks to be in full swing by their mid to late 20s.

Witts is closely followed by Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy with averages of 43 and 40 hitouts respectively.

It is important the ruck becomes another midfielder at any stoppage and Grundy excels at this with 7.5 clearances on average per match.

Remarkably, St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall, an up and comer at 23, averages 6.3 clearances. Gawn is next with 5.3.

You really want your ruck to be a ball-getter, by hand or by foot, because it adds to the team’s overall ability to control the footy.

Standouts for contested possessions are Grundy with an average of 14 per game, Marshall (11), then Gawn, Stefan Martin and Ben McEvoy each with 10.

This adds to the overall disposal averages where Grundy once more dominates with 21.5. Marshall again surprises with 16. And Gawn, Nankervis, Martin, Todd Goldstein and McEvoy are all on 15.

When it comes to disposal efficiency rate (which I believe is very open to interpretation) Marshall tops the list at 83 per cent, ahead of Grundy at 74 per cent. Gawn lacks a bit in this area on 68 per cent. Carlton’s Matthew Lobbe has the lowest percentage with 29 per cent.

It’s not hard to work out that McEvoy is the aerial specialist and the stats back that up with an average of 6.5 marks a game.

This figure is demonstrably less than the rucks of yesteryear when they always played a kick behind play as the ultimate interception player. Back then, the ruckmen only came together for the centre bounce and at other stoppages.

As the game has developed into a faster, more precise battle, ruckmen are used as both defending and attacking options.

McEvoy, Callum Sinclair, Gawn, Patrick Ryder and Marshall do mark forward of the ball.

The final stat I’m big on is metres gained (the ball going forward from your play through kicking or handpassing.) Very good mids or backs can get close to 500m-plus gained per game.

Toby Nankervis carry’s Richmond’s hopes on his shoulders.

Surprisingly, Grundy averages only 120m gained per game, compared to Marshall who gets 250m, and Gawn and Rhys Stanley (Geelong) with 245m each.

That’s the numbers, now the names.

If I was at the selection table and I had to choose from all of the league’s current, fit ruckmen and ruck combinations, I would pick Brodie Grundy first.

The big Magpie is so athletic. He looks dangerous every time he has the ball, he is rarely caught with the footy, he lifts the mids around him to a higher level and covers any slack. He is fundamental to the Magpies’ chances of going a step further this year.

Second I would choose Max Gawn. He holds Melbourne’s fate this year in his hands. He puts the ball inside 50 more than any other ruck and is also a dangerous target in attack. He is a terrifically competitive mark and generally a good kick at goal. He sets the lead for his teammates to follow.

At No.3 is the man who set up the Tigers’ premiership win, Toby Nankervis. He is not No.1 in any key stat I’ve mentioned, but he is thereabouts in all of them. He also carries the hope of Richmond supporters on his shoulders this season, but I fear for a lone ruckman when the odds are stacked against him to play out a full year. He will need assistance, just as Grundy has Mason Cox and Gawn now has Braydon Preuss.

Witts is my No.4. He has given Gold Coast exactly what it needed — a big man with a big presence.

I have a lot of admiration for No.5 as a player — Shane Mumford. He doesn’t get a heap of the ball, and his 40m gained average per game is the lowest in the league, mostly because he’s a handballer. But you can’t measure the size of a heart or brute force in stats. This is where he is king. He makes Greater Western Sydney tougher, and tougher to beat. The big “Mummy” could be the key to the Giants’ success this season.

At six I’ll take a ruck combination, Hawthorn’s Ben McEvoy and Jonathon Ceglar, because you cannot discount what they mean to their club. If the Hawks are to smash into the top eight and stay there, they will require both to contribute consistently.

Another duo is next, the Eagles’ Tom Hickey and Nathan Vardy. West Coast lost Scott Lycett to Port Adelaide after his big premiership performance, but former Saint Hickey has filled his shoes admirably in the temporary absence of Naitanui. There is no doubt the Eagles will go in with two rucks for the rest of the season (as they did all of last year) as it continues to pay dividends for them.

Jarrod Witts has been a great pick-up for Gold Coast. Picture: Michael Klein

My surprise pick at No.8 is Saint Rowan Marshall. New to the first ruck responsibility, he has taken his chance in Billy Longer’s injury absence, and run with it. His hitout numbers are up there and his possession rate is as high as is his contested football. He is a brute in the clearances, just behind Grundy. And the Saints are able to push forward more effectively with his metres gained. St Kilda has found a gem here.

Of the next 10, notable mentions have to go to Goldstein, Martin, Stanley and Adelaide’s Sam Jacobs (now injured), plus Port Adelaide’s Patrick Ryder and Lycett combination. They all are capable of lifting their teams’ performance, and chances, on a given day.

It is also worth mentioning a ruckman with big potential. Bulldog Tim English has had some lickings this season, but he reminds me so much of a young Scott Wynd (1992 Brownlow medallist). Perhaps it’s the blond hair in the red, white and blue, but I reckon with age and maturity, he has a wonderful future ahead of him.

In today’s football it is so important to have a ruckman physical enough to demand respect, capable enough to win the football through hardball gets and contested possessions, agile enough to take big marks, and accurate enough to kick much-needed goals.

It’s a tall order. But the ruck who does it best gives his team an undoubted edge.

MICK’S PICKS

Mick Malthouse’s top eight ruckmen/ruck combinations.

1. Brodie Grundy (Coll) Age: 25, Games: 112

2. Max Gawn (Melb) 27, 103

3. Toby Nankervis (Rich) 24, 63

4. Jarrod Witts (GC) 26, 84

5. Shane Mumford (GWS) 32, 174

6. Ben McEvoy/Jon Ceglar (Haw) 29, 28 / 191,65

7. Tom Hickey/Nathan Vardy (WC) 28, 27 / 83, 61

8. Rowan Marshall (St K) 23 16

(All numbers at end of Round 4)

Originally published as Mick Malthouse rates the most influential ruckmen in the AFL