Geelong Cats: Rhys Stanley believes Brodie Grundy should be playing AFL

Cats veteran ruck Rhys Stanley says seeing ‘Brodie on the sidelines is strange’ after the two-time All Australian was dropped to the VFL, but he conceded the position is evolving.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 29: Brodie Grundy of the Demons controls the ball during a Melbourne Demons AFL training session at Casey Fields on June 29, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Geelong veteran Rhys Stanley says it is “weird” to see a star ruck on the sidelines after Brodie Grundy was dropped from Melbourne’s senior side.

The Demons recruited Grundy at the end of 2022, with the ruck moving across from Collingwood after falling out of favour at the Magpies, but has since been dropped to the VFL to work on his forward craft.

Stanley said the ruck position was evolving and players were forced to keep up with the changes.

“It’s a little bit weird to see, I think it highlights system and how teams play a system,” he said.

“At times there will be a week where clearly he’ll be in the side, and then there will be another week where the match up might not work and he won’t be in the side.

Brodie Grundy and Rhys Stanley do battle in 2019. Picture: Michael Klein.

“I think it shows how the position is changing and rucks are being asked to do more each week.”

Grundy was initially promised the main ruck role in Melbourne’s team despite Max Gawn’s presence in the Demons’ best 22, with the skipper set to spend more time in the forward 50.

But the former Magpies ruck, who signed a seven-year contract extension in 2019, was dropped last week to play in a Casey scratch match while Melbourne opted to ditch the two-ruck approach.

Geelong is one of just a few sides that consistently plays multiple rucks, with All Australian Mark Blicavs used as a 198cm midfielder that pinch-hits in the ruck.

The Cats have used Stanley as a centre bounce ruck who then floats into defence at times in the past two seasons, with the tactic quite unique to Geelong.

The 32-year-old Cat has averaged 11.8 disposals, 1.9 marks, 2.5 tackles and 26.5 hit outs across eight games this season, missing an eight-game stretch because of a fractured eye socket.

Grundy was dropped to the VFL to work on his forward craft despite being promised the number one ruck role in Melbourne’s team prior to being traded from Collingwood in 2022. Picture: Darrian Traynor

Stanley said it was “strange” to see Grundy on the sidelines, with the out-of-favour ruck tipped to be at a third club in as many seasons come 2024.

“Who knows really, I don’t know how their inner sanctum works with all that, but to see someone as quality a player as Brodie on the sidelines is strange,” he said.

“The last few years he has had some interruptions with his body, whether that comes into it, you never know.

“It’s very hard to have an opinion on another player on another team because you just don’t know the inner workings of that side or that system, but I’m sure he’ll be right.”

Originally published as Geelong Cats: Rhys Stanley believes Brodie Grundy should be playing AFL