St Kilda’s ruck department is one of its biggest weaknesses and will cause headaches for Alan Richardson
WHILE other clubs strengthened their lists during the trade/free agency period, St Kilda didn’t as its ruck stocks continue to be a huge problem. Is Billy Longer up to it? What about Lewis Pierce? Alan Richardson has his work cut out, Jon Ralph writes.
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NO matter how Dan Hannebery performs next year St Kilda fans know he only has to perform better than Tom Hickey to justify his existence.
His extraordinary salary is largely irrelevant given the Saints’ massive cap space, with Hannebery secured using the No.39 pick the Saints got when Hickey left for West Coast.
The problem is what has been left behind.
St Kilda’s ruckmen have secured only one top-10 finish in the best-and-fairest since Cain Ackland’s eighth-placed finish in 2005, and it’s hard to see them changing that next year.
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St Kilda believe they have improved their outside run with Hannebery (they tried but failed to go hard at Tom Scully) and preferred Dean Kent to the enigmatic gifts of Daniel Menzel.
Fair enough too — with talls Patrick McCartin, Josh Bruce, Rowan Marshall and Tim Membrey and smalls Jack Billings, Jack Lonie and Ben Long, they should have enough firepower even with Jade Gresham moving into the midfield.
Yet a team that already had significant ruck issues this season would seem to have taken a large step backwards at a time when the AFL has brought in rules which should make ruck strength even more important.
St Kilda hasn’t ruled out securing another back-up ruckman if one becomes available in coming weeks, not that many apart from Shane Mumford appeal.
Right now, their ruck stocks would seem paper-thin as the likes of Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn transform the position with their all-ground abilities.
Billy Longer will lead their ruck stocks, four-gamer Lewis Pierce will back him up, and the talented ruck/forward Marshall will pinch-hit if needed.
But while the Saints will ruck by committee they are the only team in the competition who doesn’t have a ruckman who at his best can change a game.
For all of Hickey’s weaknesses — not rough-and-tough in the clinches, just 23 goals in 79 games — he certainly got around the ground like modern ruckmen.
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In Longer’s five games this year only his hitout-to advantage statistics were considered by Champion Data to be average — 7.4 per game.
His disposal rate (6.4), contested possessions (2.8), clearance rate (.2) and score involvements were rated poor, his intercept mark rate (0.4) rated below average.
In those five games he took a total of five marks, Grundy besting his 32 possessions for the year in just one Round 4 game against Adelaide (33 possessions).
Pierce’s Round 21 contest against Essendon might be a sign of things to come — 18 possessions, 27 hit-outs and four clearances as he and Marshall combined to beat Tom Bellchambers.
But to pin your ruck hopes on a four-gamer is wildly optimistic, with Marshall similarly talented but a baby in ruck terms after just 13 senior games.
St Kilda had a huge crack at Scott Lycett and missed, meaning their ruck issues dating back nearly 15 years will continue into 2019.
No Saints ruckman has finished higher than eighth in the Trevor Barker Award in the past decade, Hickey’s eighth place finish in 2016 the best in recent memory.
Ben McEvoy’s best finish was an 11th placing in 2013 despite 91 solid games before he was traded.
In this trade period Geelong has improved its forward pressure (Luke Dahlhaus), Collingwood its goalkicking power from the midfield (Dayne Beams) and Richmond has found the second key forward it needed (Tom Lynch).
Essendon spent big to get the inside/outside midfielder to round out its midfield (Dylan Shiel), Fremantle eventually fell back in love with Jesse Hogan to acquire the key forward it desperately needs.
St Kilda’s real improvement will come from the talent within — Josh Battle, Gresham, Billings, Jimmy Webster, McCartin, Hunter Clark, Nick Coffield — but the ruck issues might keep Alan Richardson up at night next year.
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