Which ruckmen will benefit from this season’s rule changes?

Ruckmen are back to being exactly that and the new rules will mean some big men should dominate this year and others could struggle.

Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn gets the better of North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein. Picture: Michael Klein

Ruckmen are back to being exactly that, with statistics showing a marked rise in time spent battling it out for the hit-outs.

Clubs have increasingly moved away from sharing the role between two players and resting one in the forward line or throwing them down back.

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RULE CHANGES: Which clubs will benefit most?

Champion Data statistics show that in 2013 just two players spent more than 90 per cent of their game time across the season in the ruck — North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein and the Western Bulldogs’ Will Minson.

Last season, 16 players spent more than 90 per cent of their game time in the ruck, topped by Richmond’s Toby Nankervis (99 per cent), North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein (98 per cent) and Adelaide’s Sam Jacobs (98 per cent).

Western Bulldogs and Greater Western Sydney were the two clubs not represented in the figures.

YOUR CLUB’S RUCK HOPES

Jon Ralph

ADELAIDE

Sam Jacobs is nearly 31, but last year he played every game and amassed 798 hit-outs and has enough ruck wiles to quickly adjust to the new rules.

BRISBANE LIONS

As well as being a star ruckman around the ground Stef Martin manages a respectable 16.1 per hitout to advantage win percentage (seventh in AFL). With 204cm Oscar McInerney showing signs, Brisbane is well stocked.

CARLTON

Should dominate: Matthew Kreuzer played a dozen games last year because of heart issues, but he is exactly the kind of ruckman who would take the ball out of the ruck before booting it long upfield. Matthew Lobbe averaged an excellent 35 hit-outs in the last six weeks of the season.

The new rules will suit Matthew Kreuzer. Picture: Getty Images

COLLINGWOOD

Should dominate: The new rules were made for players like Brodie Grundy, who is effectively an extra midfielder for the Pies. He will know exactly when to tap to his onball brigade and when to exploit an undersized ruck by winning the ball himself.

ESSENDON

Only Max Gawn, Grundy and Nic Naitanui had a better hitout to advantage percentage than Tom Bellchambers. Zac Clarke this year joins him as backup. With Shaun McKernan undersized but able to play ruck, the Dons have all options covered.

FREMANTLE

Should dominate: God help a player like Shaun Grigg when he goes up against Aaron Sandilands in a boundary throw-in. With Shaun Darcy, Lloyd Meek and Rory Lobb as options, coach Ross Lyon will find ways to exploit the new rule.

GEELONG

Rhys Stanley wins less than half as many hit-outs to advantage as Aaron Sandilands, doing his best work around the ground. Then there is Zac Smith, better in the centre square, as well as Ryan Abbott and new addition Darcy Fort (205cm). Doubts about who stands up.

Rhys Stanley beats Max Gawn for a ruck tap. Picture: AAP

GOLD COAST

Jarrod Witts has put together several excellent seasons and should adjust to the rules but does win a hitout to advantage only 12.7 per cent of the time.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

Shane Mumford comes back from retirement to throw his weight around. Matthew Flynn and draftee Kieren Briggs are seen as a Grundy prototypes. Then there is Dawson Simpson. Which of them becomes the club’s first-choice ruck?

HAWTHORN

Ben McEvoy is an old-school ruckman in a rich vein of form and Jon Ceglar played 11 encouraging games after a knee reco. The Hawks won’t dominate under the new rules, but they won’t be caught out.

Ben McEvoy jostles with Tom Boyd. Picture: Getty Images

MELBOURNE

Should dominate: Gawn will not only have the chance to push forward more with the acquisition of Steven May, he should feast on undersized rucks. This change should be called The Max Gawn Rule. You can see him grabbing the ball out of the ruck and before hitting the ground launching a quickfire handball at Angus Brayshaw or Clayton Oliver.

NORTH MELBOURNE

Todd Goldstein turned back the clock in 2018 by playing every game and amassing 783 hit-outs. Won’t be exploited by this rule. Braydon Preuss left for Melbourne in a perplexing trade during the summer.

Todd Goldstein wins a ruck tap. Picture: AAP

PORT ADELAIDE

Should dominate: At his best and injury free, Paddy Ryder is the kind of high-leaping ruckman who has the skills to wrest the ball from the ruck. Still went at 17.7 per cent win rate from hit-outs to advantage despite a wretched run with injury. Scott Lycett comes in as a free agent.

RICHMOND

Could struggle: The Tigers don’t mind losing the stoppages as long as they win the next contest from there. But with Shaun Grigg attending 10 ruck contests a game and Toby Nankervis a round-the-ground ruck, they have issues with this new rule.

ST KILDA

Could struggle: The Saints had issues before Tom Hickey departed for West Coast. Billy Longer is rough and tough in close and Rowan Marshall and Lewis Pearce will compete. But rivals will again look at the Saints ruck as an area they can dominate this year, even before the new rule’s advent.

Rowan Marshall reaches over the top of Sam Jacobs. Picture: Michael Klein

SYDNEY

Callum Sinclair had a strong year for Sydney, but his hitout to advantage win rate of 9.9 per cent was the fourth-worst of the 22 ruckmen to play 10 or more games. Sam Naismith comes back from an ACL to bolster the Swans ruck ranks.

WEST COAST

So much depends on the fitness of Naitanui, who coach Adam Simpson says could be back mid-year. He is so freakish he can do anything — ruck rule tweaks or not. Now the Eagles have quality tap ruckman Hickey and Grand Final hero Nathan Vardy.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Could struggle: Jordan Roughead is off to the Pies, Tom Boyd is battling a lingering back injury and for all his talents, Tim English has played only nine games. Luke Beveridge will again go into a season knowing he hasn’t nailed down who his first ruckman is. English could still be anything, but still hands Aaron Sandilands a 25kg weight advantage. That can’t help given the new rules.