Geelong Cats 2019: Ruck race could be down to Darcy Fort and Rhys Stanley for early season games

THE battle for who will hold Geelong’s number one ruck mantle in the early part of 2019 could be down to two, with mature-age draftee Darcy Fort’s pre-season putting him in the frame for an AFL debut.

THE battle for who will hold Geelong’s number one ruck mantle in the early part of 2019 could be down to two, with mature-age draftee Darcy Fort’s pre-season putting him in the frame for an AFL debut.

Fort and the vastly improved Rhys Stanley will be the strong contenders according to Cats skipper Joel Selwood, who has laid down the challenge for one of his team’s four ruckmen to step up to the challenge that comes with owning the title.

Zac Smith and Ryan Abbott round out a solid group of players vying for the job but that pair has been hindered by interrupted pre-seasons, and Selwood said the next six weeks ahead of JLT matches would be vital to how the side would run out.

“It is on the line, and there is no one really standing out. That is the challenge for the boys in the next six weeks leading up to those (practice) games,” Selwood said.

“Between Rhys (Stanley) and Darc (Fort) and Zac (Smith), there is a challenge on hand, and then Ryan (Abbott) has come back — he has been on the backburner with a sore back to start pre-season.

“So Ryan is probably lagging behind the others, purely because he hasn’t done the work, (and) Zac is a little bit of the same case, so probably Darc and Rhys are in front.”

Fort was selected by Geelong with pick 65 in last year’s draft after stints with Central District in the SANFL and Werribee and Footscray in the VFL.

The South Barwon product has caught Selwood’s eye on several occasions this summer, most notably due to his strong work ethic and willingness to make the most of the opportunities that have been presented to him.

“He is a competitor, he is a good athlete, and he just really wants to take his chance,” Selwood said.

“He is 25, he doesn’t want to let any more time go by … you really appreciate the guys that have a crack now throughout their mid-20s because they will get a chance if the right club comes for them and if they are ready, so I am just glad that he has (got a chance) because it would be a loss to the game.”

Geelong’s first JLT match will be against the reigning premiers, West Coast, on March 1.

Originally published as Geelong Cats 2019: Ruck race could be down to Darcy Fort and Rhys Stanley for early season games